fcHi 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


28     1 2.5 

Ui    12.2 


i 


^  lis  IIIIIM 


1.8 


U    IIIIII.6 


^ 


//, 


7 


V 


7 


/A 


Hiotogrepbic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


^ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  lor  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 


D 
D 
D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag6e 


I      I    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  peiliculAe 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  iiiustrrtions/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrr'-ons  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  matekjal/ 
ReEiA  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  ixi  filmAes. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


D 

D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag6es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  peliicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetAes  ou  piquies 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materiel/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplAmentaire 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fafon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


1 

t 


T 

P 
o 
fi 


0 
b 
tl 
si 
o 
fi 
si 
oi 


Tl 

St 

Tl 
w 

IVI 
di 
er 
be 

"9 

re( 
m< 


y 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires; 


Filmed  from  a  photoreproduction 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous 

10X                             14X                             18X                            22X 

26X 

30X 

1 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

I 

tails 
I  du 
odifier 
'  une 
mage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Simon  Fraser  University 
Library 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grflce  it  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Simon  Fraser  University 
Library 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  re'>roduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


IS 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  filmis  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  las:  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  §tre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  r6duction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  1\\m6  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


irrata 
to 


pelure, 

in  A 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

THE  Klondyke 


:> 


GOLD  Fields 


Their    Discovery,    Development, 
and  Future  Possibilities, 


-WITH" 


PRACTICAL     INFORMATION 

ON    OOI^D    MIKINO. 

HOW   TO    OBT    THERE. 

WHAT    TO    CARRY. 

WHAT    TO    DO. 

ALSO-— 

HINTS     ^'    Value    to     Prospectors. 

llii\  lO  Traders  and    Investor^,,,,  j  Ldlcv     J 


githdraya  froa  library 

.       .'  15642/ 

CHARLES  ALEXANDER  PLEMPEL.  ^ 

itxcsraATBo  by 
ISAAC  B.  BEALES. 


OGi  2  -l  1909 


TUB  Sf  ARTLANO  PUBUSHIMG  OOUPAMY, 
HALTlMOIUt,  MO, 


1 


/ifj 


CONTENXa 


CHAPTER. 

IWTRODUCTORY, '      *      *      '  ^ 

Alaska, II 

Gold  Mining, ^^^ 

Canada's  Rights ^V 

How  TO   Grt   Therk— What  to   Carry— 

What  to  do, V 

Enterprises, VI 

Tailings VII 


"That  book  in  many's  eyw  dolh  share  the  gloiy. 
That  in  gold  claitpa  locks  in  the  goU!en  story.** 

Shak$.:  Itomeo  and  Juliet. 


Cat«rc4  accordlrg  to  Act  of  CosgrcM.  is  the  year  097,  ty 

THE    at ARYLA^D    PUBUSBUTC    COMPACT. 
Is  the  oSee  of  the  Librerlaa  ef  Cougrtm,  at  WuklflgtOB.  9.  C. 


I 

/ 

V 

n 


THE  one  magic  word  which  has,  per- 
haps,   been    spoken,  written   and 

printed,  more  than  any  other. 
Introductory.  during  the    past    few    weeks,    is 

Klondyks.  I  retain  the  spelling 
of  the  word  in  the  form  given  because  I  believe  it  to  be 
strictly  accurate,  although  many  newspapers,  doubtless 
well  informed,  have  departed  from  the  first  rendering 
and  have  substituted  the  letter  "I"  for  the  letter  "Y," 
a  matter  of  little  moment,  inde«d,  but  one  vrhich  may 
yet  give  rise  to  controversy,  as  the  name,  itself,  bids 
fair  to  take  a  leading  place  in  future  history  and  to 
become  even  more  celebrated  than  that  of  California. 
Asa  matter  of  simple  fact,  it  is  as  well  to  observe,  the 
original  name  of.  the  now  notorious  river  and  district 
was  spelt  "Thron  dak,**  or  "duick,**  a  word  of  Indian 
origin,  which  means,  "plenty  of  fish."  To  thosf»  who 
are  acquainted  with  gold-bearing  strata  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  and  who  make  it  their  business  to  obtain 
information  in  regard  to  new  mineral  discoveries,  the 
fact  has  been  well  known  for  many  years  that  the 
immense  territory,  lK>rdering  on  the  Arctic  Circle  and 
extending  on  the  Hast  into  British  Columbia  and  on  the 
West  and  South  into  Alaska,  contains  deposits  of  gold 
of  incalculable  value. 

The  excitement,  however,  which  very  naturally 
followed  the  more  recent  disclosures  regarding  wealth, 
easily  and  quickly  obtained  from  the  placer  deposits  in 
the  Klondyke  River,  brought,  in  its  train,  a  desire  for 
possessioa  ;  with  the  result  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
publicity  given  to  the  subject  through  the  ^ess, 
scarcely  a  man,  a  woman,  or  a  child,  in  even  the  most 
remote  hamlet  in  the  United  States,  is  unacquainted 
with  the  fact  that  a  new  Eldorado  exists  in  the  frozen 


4  THE  KLONDYKE  COLD  FIELDS. 

and  inbospitable  North,  and  that  it  is  open  to  every  able 
bodied  man — and  perhaps  woman — to  ssek  the  field  of 
adventure  and  endeavor  to  wrinj;  from  nature's  secret 
treasure  house  that  wealth  for  which  all  are  striving, 
but  to  win  which  is  denied  to  the  great  majority  of 
mankind. 

The  space  available  in  this  little  work  renders  it 
impracticable  to  enter  into  an  exhaustive  dissertation  on 
LUCK.     Many  philosophers  aver  that  the  word  has  no 

meaning — i.  e.^  that  luck,  in  an 

abstract  sense,  does  not  exist. 

Let  those  who  think  thus  try 

gold  mining.    Then  they  may 

be  converted  tc  the  theory  that 

nick  is  a  power  in  the  lives  of 

^ncn — and  women — which,  like 

an  overwhelming  flood  pouring 

lA^vV        '•'     •    "^      from  a  broken  dam,  will  carry 

'•^i  \'*r.'^;r,  r^yA    some  to  the  highehi  pinnacle  of 

success,  and  will  sweep  others — 
the  majority — into  those  troubled  waters  which  drown 
so  many  heroic  efforts  and  leave  upon  memory  the 
burden  of  a  record  of  a  life's  utter  and  complete  failure. 
This  will  be  shown  in  the  unwritten  history  of  the 
Klondyke.  Fortune  to  a  few — despair  and  death  to  the 
many.  It  was  always  so,  and  history  invariably  repeats 
itself. 

But  if  the  tens  of  thousands  of  treasure  seekers, 
who  will,  by  some  means,  and  within  a  comparatively 
short  period,  make  their  way  into  the  new  northern 
Kldorado,  knew  each  and  individually  that  his  chances 
of  success  were  utterly  forlorn  and  hopeless,  the  spirit 
of  adventure  and  the  greed  for  gold  would  overcome 
every  measure  of  caution  and  every  instinct  of  fear,  and 
not  one  would  he  deterred  from  trusting  to  that  most 
fickle  goddess  of  fortune,  named  luck,  for  a  happy 
outcome  and  a  profitable  result.  Knowing,  therefore, 
the  sentiments  that  so  widely — it  may  be  said  so 
universally — prevail,  I  should  entirely  fail  in  the  object 
T7hich  prompts  'Jie  preparation  of  these  few  pages  were 


INTROD  UCTOR  Y.  5 

I  to  paint  the  golden  horizon  in  such  sombre  colors  as 
to  freeze  the  heroism  and  to  lessen  the  self-sacrifice 
which  must  inspire  every  gold  seeker  if  he  is  to  have 
the  most  remote  chance  of  ultimate  success.  Naturally » 
my  best  and  kindest  wishes  will  accompany  every 
reader  of  this  little  work  who  may  set  forth  upon  the 
hunt  for  gold  ;  and  it  will  be  my  aim,  in  the  following 
pages,  to  shed  some  light  upon  the  pathway  of  those 
who  abandon  home  for  scenes  which,  to  the  many,  are 
at  present  unimcginable  ;  while  others,  who  merely 
peruse  these  lines  for  information  or  amusement  will.  I 
hope,  find  nothing  i.icy  may  unduly  criticize.  There  is 
yet  another  class  of  readers  to  whom  a  few  pages  will  be 
expressly  devoted.  They  are  the  seekers  for  wealth 
through  the  medium  of  investment ;  and  as  the  gold 
fever  is  rampant  and  epidemic  throughout  the  land,  from 
New  York  to  San  Francisco,  from  Juneau  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  the  Wall  Street  gambler,  the  Quaker  City 
promoter,  the  Frisco  mining  broker,  and  the  confidence 
men  of  a  thousand  and  one  minor  cities,  will  be  like 
vultures  hovering  over  the  prey,  laying  traps  for  the 
unwary  and  seeking  to  despoil  the  widow,  the  orphan, 
the  merchant,  and  the  fool,  by  the  introduction  of  wild- 
cat and  impassible  schemes,  presented  in  as  many  forms 
and  colors  as  Joseph's  Biblical  coat.  I  do  not  claim  to 
possess  immaculate  judgment  and  I  do  recognize  fully 
the  importance  of  fostering  and  advocating  legitimate 
enterprise ;  but  in  all  these  things  there  is  a  line  of 
wisdom  to  be  drawi,  and  I  hope  that  those  of  my  readers 
who  may  contemplate  investing  hardly  earned  savings 
in  Alaskan  mining  schemes  may  find  the  price  of  this 
book  rcpiid  to  them  ten  thousand  fold. 

One  more  sentence  before  I  approach  the  more  solid 
matter  which  this  work,  to  be  of  any  practical  service, 
must  contain  :  I  shall,  in  all  probab'lity,  be  found,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  months,  exploring  the  Klondyke 
region;  but  I  am,  after  many  years  of  experience, 
gifted  with  that  most  invaluable  possession,  patience. 
The  old  saying,  "the  greater  haste  the  less  speed," 
applies  with  extraordinary  significance  in  the  presoit 


I  ! 


;f 


It 


6  THE  KLONDYKE  COLD  FIELDS, 

excited  condition  of  the  public  mind  as  regards  the 
Klondyke  gold  discoveries.  There  is  n«>  occasion  for 
hurry.  There  is  every  conceivable  reasotv  for  calm  and 
thoughtful  consideration  before  embarking  upon  an 
enterprise  such  as  is  involved  in  even  a  visit  to  the 
mountain  ranges  of  Alaska,  or  the  British  northwestern 
territory.  New  York  may  yet  be  destroyed  by  an 
enrth(iuake.  A  quaint  prediction  was  given  out  forty 
years  ago  by  a  German  of  remarkable  foresight  who 
prophesied  many  other  strange  events  and  calamities 
(all  of  which  have  come  to  pass),  that  such  would  be 
the  ultimate  fate  of  the  Empire  City.  But  the  midnight 
sun  will  continue  to  shine  in  northern  Alaska.  The 
gigantic  glaciers  will  tr.ivel  on  and  on  and  give  forth 
weird  and  unhallowed  sounds  of  desolation.  King  Frost 
will  resume  his  annual  supremacy  and  for  a  few  short 
months  in  every  year  summer  and  sunshine  will 
welcome  the  feathered  songsters  from  the  south  and 
nature  will  sing  a  lullaby  over  the  graves  of  those  who 
fall  by  the  way.  The  controlling  spirit  of  mighty 
torrents  will  rule  the  gorges  atid  chasms  as  of  3'ore,  and 
the  snow-capped  mountains  will  forever  look  down  in 
pity  and  contempt  upon  man's  puny  eflbrts.  All  the 
while  Nature,  the  giant  mannfacturer  and  producer,  is 
pouring  gold  dust  into  the  beds  of  rivers  and  streams, 
l)y  a  process  mysterious  yet  effectual.  In  mountain 
ridges  and  under  sad,  lonely,  end  forbidding  rocks,  she 
is  heaping  up  countless  treasures  which  have  yet  to  be 
discovered,  but  which  man  will  in  time  unearth ;  and, 
over  an  area  of  many  hundreds  of  square  miles,  there  is 
room  for  an  army  ot  a  hundred  thousand  bold  explorers 
and  adventurers  who  would,  perhaps,  never  have  been 
tempted  to  journey  into  those  wilds  but  for  the  magic 
influence  wielded  by  the  one  simple  word  "Klondyke," 
The  word  Klondyke  has  gone  forth  as  a  trumpet  call  to 
arms.  The  banner  of  gold  is  licld  high  alofl  and  the 
recruits  are  falling  into  line,  some  unarmed  and 
practically  helpless  ;  others,  full  of  vigor  and  determin- 
ation and  aided  by  surroundings  which  should  ensure 
more  or  less  success — but  it  will  be,  after  all,  a  question 


mm-. 


WNf-  fCRNY.TNC  MltUONAINC  DRIDK,  IN  MININO  C09TUMK. 


8  THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 

of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  ami  the  Inckiest.  The 
invasion  of  a  vast  and  hitherto  unexplored  territory  has 
commenced  and  the  invincible  Anglo-Saxon  will  trani]> 
on  and  on  to  new  discoveries  which  Nature  has  held 
hidden  during  countless  centuries.  The  gold  is  there  I ! 
And  the  more  people  who  go  to  seek  it  the  greater  and 
better  will  be  the  facilities  provided  for  their  protection 
and  support.  That  which  might  have  been  impossible 
to  but  a  few  adventurers  will  be  accomplished  with 
coniparativo  ease  by  an  army  co-operating  and  working; 
in  pursuance  of  a  single  object,  and  the  solemn  stillness 
of  the  Arctic  winter  will,  in  course  of  years,  he 
disturbed  by  the  roaring  of  the  camp  fire  and  the  echo 
of  the  falling  pick.  As  if  bv  magic,  buildings  will 
spring  up,  streets  will  be  laid  out,  and  new  towns 
created.  The  impossibility  of  existing  in  such  a  clime 
will  be  practically  disproved,  and  comfort  will  he 
procured  where  desolation  was  once  paramount.  But  it 
will  take  time,  and  reader,  I  say  again,  there  is  no 
hurry. 

"Oh  cricTons  folly  to  hcnp  np  csfatc. 

Losing  the  days  you  sec  lionratli  the  snn. 
When,  sudden,  ctimes  lilind  unrelenting  fate. 
And  piTOA  th'  untast<>«I  portion  you  have  won, 
AViili  ruthless  toil,  and  many  a  ^n-trh  undone. 
To  thusc  who  mock  you,  gone  to  I'luto'g  n-iRn." 

—Hhakt.:  liomto  and  Juliet. 


V 


,1 1 


EVKRY  •  *  ool-boy  knows  that  Alaska 
is  one  «.i   the  United  States  Terri- 
tories,   l.ut    very  few    people    are 
Alaska.  acqu  iinte<1  with  its  history,  its  cli- 

tn'ulc,  its  mineral  wealth,  or  its 
extent.  Originally  in  the  possession  of  the  Russian 
Government,  Alaska  was  ciTerecl  for  sale  to  the  United 
States  as  far  back  as  the  year  1844.  The  Emperor 
Nicholas  of  Rnssia,  in  presenting  the  opportunity  to  the 
United  States  Government,  of  purchasiug  the  territory 
for  a  merely  nominal  consideration,  made  it  a  condition 
th£^t  England  should  be  shut  out  from  any  frontage  on 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Russia,  even  at  that  period,  con- 
sidered that  England  was  possessed  of  quite  sufficient 
frontages.  The  offer,  not  then  accepted,  was  several 
times  renewed,  and  finally,  in  1867,  the  purchase  of 
Alaska  was  effected  by  the  United  States,  the  price  paid 
being  at  the  rate  of  alx>ut  half  a  cent  an  acre.  The  in- 
vestment has,  so  far,  proved  to  be  an  exceptionally 
profitable  one  to  the  United  States  Government,  and  it 
is  probable,  in  course  of  a  few  years,  that  the  people  of 
this  country  will  have  especial  reason  to  be  thankful 
for  the  action  taken  by  the  Administration  of  thirty 
years  ago,  seeing  that  the  increase  of  the  wealth  of  the 
country,  generally,  and  particularly  of  the  accumulation 
of  gold  from  new  sources,  will  undoubtedly  tend  to  a 
renewal  of  the  prosperity  which  has  been  so  conspicuous 
by  its  absence  since  the  panic  of  1893. 

Alaska,  in  brief,  is  nine  times  the  size  of  New  Eng- 
land, twice  the  size  of  Te^as,  and  three  times  as  large 
as  California.  It  extends  for  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and  the  Aleutian  Islands  en- 
croach upon  the  Eastern  Hemisphere.  The  Island  of 
Attn  is  two  thousand  miles  west  of  Sitka,  and  it  is  as 


ff^m 


to         T//E  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 

far  from  Cape  Fox  to  Point  Barrow  as  from  the  north  of 
Maine  to  the  southern  extremity  of  Florida.  But  the 
immense  extent  of  the  Alaskan  territory  can  be  the 
more  readily  appreciated  when  it  is  stated,  as  is  the  fact, 
that  its  coast  line  has  a  length  of  more  than  18,000 
miles,  this  being  greater  than  that  of  all  the  Stales 
bordering  upon  the  Atlantic,  the  Pacific  ind  ihe  Gulf 
of  Mexico  combined. 

Mount  St.  Elias  is  the  central  peak  of  a  crescent- 
shaped  range  of  mountains  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Alaska,  and  lifts  its  glittering  white  head  more  than 
nineteen  thousand  feet  above  sea-level,  and  can  l>e  dis- . 

tinctly  seen  one  hundred  atid 
fifty  miles  at  sea.  The  Yukon 
River  is  to  Alaska  what  the 
Congo  is  to  Africa,  the  Missis- 
sippi to  the  central  portion  of  t  he 
United  States,  and  the  Amazon 
to  South  America.  It  is  a 
mighty  stream,  2,044  miles  in 
length.  It  has  its  source  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  of  British  Co- 
lumbia, at  a  |M)int  about  two 
hundred  miles  northeast  of  Sitka  and,  forming  the  arc 
of  a  huge  circle  over  2.000  miles  long,  enters  the  Behring 
Sea  through  an  extensive  delta,  pouring  into  the  sva 
a  volume  of  water  so  great  as  to  freshen  the  ocean 
ten  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  is  first  known  as  the 
Yukon  at  a  point  where  the  Pelly  River  from  British 
Columbia  meets  the  Lewis  River  from  southeast  Alaska. 
It  drains  more  than  600,000  square  miles  of  territory, 
and  discharges  one-third  more  water  than  does  the  Mis- 
sissippi. It  is  sixty  miles  wide  at  its  mouth,  and  its 
width  inland  is  from  one  to  ten  miles.  Beiug  compara- 
tively shallow,  it  is  only  navigable  by  flat-bottom  boats, 
with  a  carrying  capacity  of  a  few  hundred  tons,  and  it 
is  entirely  closed  to  navigation  during  the  winter,  which 
lasts  for  about  nine  months  in  the  year.  At  various  in- 
tervals numerous  streams  and  many  large  rivers  flow 
into  the  Yukon,  the  most  celebrated  of  these  being  the 


kj^'^ 


[lOf 

tbe 
the 
fact, 
,000 
:ales 
Gulf 

cent- 
re of 

than 

;  (lis-  . 

I  and 

ukon 

t  the 

lissis- 

of  the 

uazoii 
is    a 

lies  in 

in  the 

Ish  Co- 

t   two 

he  arc 

lehring 

Ihe  s<a 
ocean 
as  the 
ritish 
lasV.a. 
itory, 
e  Mis- 
nd  its 
impara- 
boats, 
and  it 
,  which 
ous  in- 
rs  flow 
ing  the 


m  • 

o 
o 

r 
O 


a 
m 


v\ 


12 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS 


i  ■'. 

!-■ 


Klondyke  River»  now  notorious  as  the  center  of  a  region 
famed  for  de^iosits  of  mineral  wealth,  the  extent  of 
which  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  foresee,  but  whidi,  from 
present  indications,  is  practically  inexhaustible. 

It  has  been  known  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  that 
gold  existed  in  the  valley  of  the  Yukon,  the  original 
discovery  being  dtte  to  the  reports  of  Indians,  and  it  was, 
even  before  any  actual  discoveries  were  made,  stronglv 
suspected  that  the  streams  and  tributaries  to  the  great 
*•  Amazon  of  the  North  **  were  rich  beyond  the  dreams 
of  avarice  in  the  precious  3'ellow  metal.  It  is  the  opinion 
of  several  scientific  and  geological  authorities  that  the 
area  of  the  gold  belt  may  extend  fully  five  hundred  miles 
from  east  to  west,  and  that  it  may  vary  in  width  from 
one  hundred  to  four  hundred  miles.  In  that  opinion, 
however,  all  of  the  highest  authorities  do  not  coincide. 
Mr.  R.  E.  Preston,  Director  of  the  United  States  Mint, 
in  a  tong  letter  to  The  Worlds  winds  up  with  the  state- 
ment that  "the  mineral  belt  has  a  longitudinal  extent  of 
about  one  hundred  miles  in  a  northwestern  and  south- 
eastern direction." 

Mr.  George  Frederick  Wright,  Professor  of  Geo!ogy 
at  ObeiHn  College,  and  author  of  several  standard  geo- 
logical works,  has  recently  furnished  a  statement  of  the 
dcci>est  interest,  from  which  the  following  extracts  may 
be  ajjpropriately  given  :  Mr.  Wright  says,  *'  As  to  the 
ultimate  yield  of  the  mines,  or  the  prospect  of  finding 
more,  we  have  nothing  but  conjecture  to  go  upon.  Tht 
geologists  who  have  visited  the  region  were  not  the  ones 
wlio  discovered  the  gold.  What  the  prospectors  have 
found  points  to  more.  The  unexplored  region  is  im- 
mense. The  mountains  to  the  south  are  young,  having 
been  elevated  very  much  since  the  climax  of  the  glacial 
period.  The  great  mass  of  gold-bearing  quartz  at  the 
Treadwell  Mine,  nearjuneau(thecapitalcity  of  Alaska), 
was  what  might  be  expected,  and  at  the  same  time  what 
might  be  the  limitation  of  the  supply.  For  more  than 
ten  years  that  mine  has  furnished  more  than  a  million 
dollars  of  gold  annually,  but  it  is  not  like  ordinary 
quartz  mines.     It  is  rather  a  great,  isolated  muss  of 


ALASKA. 


L  region 
♦.^nt  of 
Ji,  from 

ars  tliat 
original 
lit  was, 
itronglv 
le  great 
dreams 
;  opinion 
that  the 
ed  miles 
Ith  from 
opinion, 
:oincide. 
;es  Mint, 
he  state- 
extent  of 
d  south- 
Geology 
lard  gco- 
;nt  of  the 
racts  may 
As  to  the 
)f  finding 
on.     Thi 
t  the  ones 
tors  have 
on  is  im- 
g,  having 
he  glacial 
.rtz  at  the 
»f  Alaska), 
time  what 
more  than 
a  million 
i  ordinary 
d  mass  ol 


«3 


quartz,  with  gold  disseminated  all  throngh  it.  While 
its  worth  is  great  its  length  is  limited.  Little  is  known 
about  the  geology  of  the  Yukon  River  where  the  Klon* 
dyke  mines  have  been  found.  Being  placer  mines,  the 
gold  may  have  been  transported  many  miles.  The 
means  of  transportation  are  both  glaciers  and  rivers. 
Dawson  and  Professor  Russell  both  report  well-defined 
terminal  moraines  across  the  upp.  r  Yukon  Valley.  The 
source  of  the  Klondyke  gold,  therefore,  is  firom  the 
south. 

"  Placer  mines  originate  in  the  disintegration  of 
gold-bearing  quartz  veins,  or  mass  like  that  at  Juneau. 
Under  sub-aerial  agencies  these  become  dissolved,  then 
the  glaciers  transpo"^  the  material  as  far  as  they  go, 
when  the  floods  of  water  carry  it  on  still  fr.rther.  Gold, 
being  heavier  than  the  other  materials  associated  with 
it,  lodges  in  the  crevasses,  or  in  the  rough  places  at  the 
bottom  of  the  streams.  So  to  speak ,  Nature  has  stamped 
and  *  panned '  the  gravel  first  and  prepared  the  way  for 
man  to  finish  the  work.  The  amount  of  gold  found  in 
the  placer  mines  is  evidence,  not  so  much,  perhaps,  of  a 
very  rich  vein  as  of  the  disintegration  of  a  very  large  • 
vein.  The  '  mother  lode '  has  been  looked  for  in  vain 
in  California,  and  perhaps  will  be  so  in  Alaska.  But  it 
exists  somewhere  up  the  streams  on  which  the  placer 
mines  are  found.  The  discovery  of  gxld  in  glacial 
deposits  far  away  from  its  native  place  is  familiar  to 
American  geologists. 

"  The  general  climatic  conditions  on  the  north  side 
of  the  mountains  are  much  better  than  those  on  the 
south  side.  On  the  south  side  the  snowfall  is  enormous, 
but  on  the  north  side  the  air  is  dryer.  It  is  not  impos« 
sible  that  explorations  southwest  of  the  present  gold 
fields  may  be  carried  on  with  comparative  ease." 

General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  in  his  "  Personal  Recol- 
lections,"  observes  that,  "among  the  results  of  the  war 
as  connected  with  the  West,  was  the  acquisition  of 
Alaska,  that  magnificent  pendant  to  our  territorial  area. 
The  undisguised  sympathy  shown  to  us  in  our  struggle 
by  Russia,  aggravated  the  strained  relations  alr^dy 


I  I 


i! 


i       I 


I   '        I 


14 


TffE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


TOTtn. 


1  *^ 


.!•    ( 


Si  'j^:c._ 


existing  between  that  coontry  and  Great  Britain,  while 
drawing  still  more  closely  Uie  bonds  of  friendship  pre- 
viously existing  between  her  and  the  United  States. 
Soon  after  the  war,  rather  than  endanger  these  friendly 
relations  by  the  complications  that  seemed  likely  to  arise 
from  the  preseri-e  in  Alaskan  waters  of  our  whalers  and 
fishermen,  and,  perhaps,  willing  also  to  perform  an  act 
showing  her  independence  of  Great  Britain,  Russia 
departed  from  her  traditional  policy  and  sold  this  terri- 
tory to  our  Government  for  ^7, 200,000." 

The  Alaskan  mountain  ranges  contain  some  of  the 
most  magnificent  glaciers  to  be  found  anywhere  upon 
the  glob-.  The  Malaspine  Glacier  is  one  of  the  greatest 
extent.     It  may  be  described  as  a  vast  prairie  of  ice, 

forever  moving  slowly  onward, 
and  it  is  possible  to  look  down 
upon  it  from  a  height  of  three 
thousand  feet  and  yet  be  unable 
to  discover  its  southern  limits. 
Among  the  most  interesting 
features  of  Alaska  will  be  found 
evergreen  forests,  cameted  with 
flowers  and  ferns,  growing  on 
live  glaciers  hundreds  of  feet  in 
thickness.  At  Glacier  Bay  is 
the  Mtiir  Glacier,  the  face  of  which  is  a  solid  wall  of  ice 
two  miles  in  width.  Another  glacier,  forty  miles  long 
and  over  five  miles  wide,  is  to  be  found  on  the  Stickine 
River,  and  the  Miles  Glacier,  discovered  by  Lieutenant 
Abercrombie  during  his  exploration  of  the  Copper  Riv  — 
country,  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 
these  wonders  of  nature. 

It  requires  a  great  effort  of  the  imagination  to 
gather  an  adequate  idea  of  a  valley,  miles  in  extent, 
packed  solidly  with  ice,  lying  between  two  ranges  of 
mountains,  the  ice  being  formed  from  closely-packed 
and  serai-liquid  snow.  The  movement  of  these  glaciers, 
although  constantly  in  motion,  is  so  slow  as  to  be  alto- 
gether imperceptible,  but  the  fact  rf  the  movement  is 
borne  out  by  results.     There  is  a  never-ceasing  fall  of 


a,  while 
iip  pre- 

States. 

friendly 

to  arise 

Icrs  and 

1  an  act 

Russia 
lis  terri- 

le  of  the 
re  upon 
greatest 
i  of  ice, 
onward, 
ok  down 
of  three 
»e  unable 
A  limits, 
teresting 
be  found 
ted  with 
wing  on 
jf  feet  in 
r  Bay  is 
all  of  ice 
iles  long 
Stickine 
eutenant 
per  Riv  ~ 
esting  ol 

lation  to 
extent, 
ranges  of 
y.packed 

glaciers, 
0  be  alto- 

ement  is 
ng  fall  of 


I 


i 


ALASKA. 


15 


masses  of  ice,  at  the  extremity  of  the  glacier,  and  these 
masses,  ranging  from  a  few  pomids  in  weight  to  blocks 
acres  in  extent,  produce  noises  which  can  only  be  com- 
pared to  the  roar  of  thunder,  and  which  are  frequently 
heard  at  a  distance  of  many  miles. 

Scenes  such  as  these  are  of  surpassing  beauty  and 
grandeur,  and  with  the  opening  up  of  facilities  ^at  trans- 
portation, which  the  successful  working  of  the  new  gold 
fields  is  certain  to  inaugurate,  it  may  be  a  question  of 
only  a  short  period  when  trips  to  Alaska  will  become  as 
popular  and  as  practicable  as  visits  to  the  great  Yellow- 
stone Park. 

The  exploration  of  the  valley  of  the  Yukon  River 
by  Lieutenant  Schwatka,  in  1883,  is  described  in  the 
*•  Personal  Recollections  of  General  Nelson  A.  Miles," 
and  forms  a  chapter  full  of  graphic  interest.  Genexal 
Miles  writes :  * '  The  difficulties 
that  had  been  experienced  by 
others  in  exploring  the  Yukon 
from  its  mouth,  led  Lieutenant 
Schwatka  to  believe  that  it 
might  be  easier  to  descend  than 
to  ascend,  and  he  made  his 
preparations  with  this  end  in 
view.  He  finally  decided  to 
make  the  attempt  to  reach  its 
head  waters  by  way  of  the  Chil- 
coot  trail  (so  frequently  referred  to  in  the  newspapers* 
with  reference  to  journeys  to  and  from  the  Klondyke 
region),  which  leads  up  the  inlet  of  the  same  name,  to  a 
branch  called  the  Dayay,  then  through  this  to  the  month 
of  the  Dayay  River,  thence  to  its  head,  and  thence  across 
the  mountains  to  Lake  Lindeman.  From  Lake  Marsh 
they  entered  the  Yukon  River,  and  on  July  ist  found 
themselves  approaching  the  grand  canon  of  the  Yukon. 
The  river,  which  before  reaching  this  point  is  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  width,  here  begins  to 
grow  narrower,  until  it  is  hardly  more  than  thirty-five 
yards  wide.  The  walls  of  the  canon  are  of  perpendicular 
basalt,  nearly  a  mile  in  height,  being  widened  in  the 


TltK£VC;M     rtiLts   C*NWN.. 


l!.i 


1 1 


I     ! 


II  < 


I     1 


i6        m£  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 

center  into  a  huge  basin  abont  double  the  nsnal  widtb 
'  of  tbe  stream  in  the  canon,  and  tnis  basin  is  full  of 
whirlpools  and  eddies,  in  which  nothing  but  a  fish  could 
live.  Through  this  canon  the  wild  Outers  rush  in  a 
perfect  mass  of  foam,  with  a  reverberation  that  can  be 
heard  a  considerable  distance  away.  Overhanging  ti:e 
canon  are  huge  spruce  trees  stauding  in  gloomy  rows. 
At  the  northern  end  the  water  spreads  rapidly  to  its 
former  width,  although  not  losing  any  of  its  swiftness, 
and  falls  in  a  wide,  shallow  sheet  over  reeis  of  boulders 
and  drifts  of  huge  timber.  About  four  miles  further 
down  the  river  grows  narrower  than  ever,  and  the  volume 
of  water  is  so  great  that  it  ascends  the  sloping  banks  to 
a  considerable  height,  and  then  falls  back  into  the  nai  row 
bed  below.  The  shooting  of  the  cuuon  and  rapids 
was  an  exciting  adventure,  and  I  v;ill  give  Lieutenant 
Schwatka's  experience  in  his  own  words. 

** '  Everything  being  in  readiness,  our  inspection 
made  and  our  resolution  formed,  in  the  forenoon  of  the 
2d  of  July,  we  prepared  to  shoot  the  raft  through  the 
rapids  of  the  grand  canon,  and  at  11.25  the  bow  and 
stern  lines  were  cast  loose,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  hard 
work  at  shoving  the  craft  out  of  the  little  eddy  where 
she  lay,  the  poor  vessel  resisting  as  if  she  knew  all  that 
was  ahead  of  her,  and  vas  loath  to  go,  she  finally  swung 
clear  of  the  point,  ana,  like  a  racer  at  the  start,  made 
almost  a  leap  forward,  and  the  die  was  cnst.  A  momctit's 
hesitation  at  the  cauon's  brink,  and  quick  as  a  flash  the 
whirling  craft  plunged  into  the  foam,  and  before  twenty 
yards  were  made  had  collided  with  the  western  wall  of 
the  columnar  rock  with  a  shock  as  loud  as  a  blast,  tearing 
off  the  inner  side  log  and  throwing  the  outer  one  far  into 
the  stream.  The  raft  swung  around  this  as  upon  a  hinge, 
jtist  as  if  it  had  been  a  straw  in  a  gale  of  wind,  and  again 
resumed  its  rapid  career.  In  the  whirlpool  basin  of  the 
canon,  the  craft,  for  a  brief  second  or  two,  seemed  actu- 
ally b'lried  out  pf  sight  in  the  foam.  Had  there  been  a 
dozen  giants  on  board  they  could  have  had  no  more  in- 
fluence in  directing  her  course  than  as  many  spiders.  It 
was  a  very  simple  matter  to  trust  the  rude  vessel  entirely 


al  width 
s  full  of 
sh  could 
tsh  in  a 
it  can  be 
ging  tl:e 
ny  rows, 
ly  to  its 
wiftness, 
boulders 
s  further 
le  volume 
bank?  to 
le  nai  row 
td  rapids 
ieutenant 

nspection 
on  of  the 
ough  the 
bow  and 
ates'  hard 
dy  where 
w  all  that 
Uy  swung 
art,  made 
moment's 
I  flash  the 
re  twenty 
rn  wall  of 
St,  tearing 
le  far  into 
n  a  hinge, 
and  again 
isin  of  the 
med  actu- 
ere  been  a 
more  in- 
siders.   It 
el  entirely 


ALASKA. 


17 


to  fate,  to  work  oat  its  own  salvation.  I  was  most  afraid 
of  the  four  miles  of  shallow  rapids  below  the  canon,  but 
she  only  received  a  dozen  or  a  score  of  smart  bumps, 
that  started  a  log  here  and  there,  but  tore  none  from  the 
structure,  and  nothing  remained  ahead  of  her  but  the 
cascades.  These  reached,  in  a  few  minutes  the  craft  was 
caught  zl  the  bow  by  the  first  high  wave,  in  the  funnel- 
like chute,  and  lifted  into  the  air  until  it  stood  almost  at 
an  angle  of  thirty  degrees,  when  it  went  through  the 
cascades  like  a  charge  cf  fixed  bayonets,  and  almost  as 
swiftly  as  a  flash  of  light,  burying  its  nose  in  the  foam 
beyond  a^  it  subsided.  Those  on  board  the  raft  now  got 
hold  of  a  line  from  their  friends  on  shore,  and,  after 
breaking  it  several  times,  they  finally  brought  the  craft 
alongside  the  bank,  and  commenced  repairing  the 
damage  with  light  hearts,  for  our  greatest  obstacle  was 
now  at  our  backs.' 

'*  During  this  reconnoissance  much  valuable  infor« 
ination  was  obtained  regarding  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country,  the  whole  number  belonging  to  the  various 
tribes  observed  by  the  expedition  aggregating  over 
eleven  thousand. 

''Lieutenant  Schwatka's  exploration  was  one  of 
exceeding  interest  and  value,  adding  a  very  important 
chapter  of  information  about  that  remote  country.  The 
territory  he  passed  over,  however,  had  not  been 
entirely  untraversed  by  prospectors  and  miners,  as  a  few 
of  those  adventurous  spirits  had  previously  penetrated 
that  country  in  search  of  gold  and  other  minerals.  He 
describes  the  natives  as  a  hardy,  brave  people,  and 
most  expert  boat  builders.  Schwatka  fotmd  these 
native  races  among  the  hardiest  and  strongest  on  the 
continent.  All  his  baggage  had  to  be  carried  over  the 
mountains  on  the  backs  of  men  hired  for  that  purpose, 
and  he  reports  that  they  could  take  a  box  of  ammun- 
ition or  supplies  weighing  a  hundred  pounds  and  go  up 
the  side  of  a  mountain  as  rapidly  as  an  ordinary  man 
could  travel  without  any  burden. 

"The  principal  isdnstnes  of  Alaska  at  present  are 
the  for  trade,  mining,  and  th«;  curing  an<f.  canning  of 


f  >      < 

.  •    1 


x8 


T//E  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


fi^h.  The  value  of  tbe  Seal  Islands  was  not  appreciated 
at  the  time  of  their  transfer  to  this  country.  In  1870, 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  of  San  Francisco 
obtained  a  twenty  years'  lease  of  the  Islands  of  St.  Paul 
and  St.  George,  and  are  believed  to  have  divided  from 
^900,000  to  $1,000,000  profits  annually  between  twelve 
original  stockholders.  In  1890  another  twenty  year's 
lease  was  awarded  the  North  American  Commercial 
Company  of  San  Francisco  for  an  annual  rental  of 
$100,000. 

"Who  can  foretell  the  future  of  this  country  when 
the  similarity  between  its  people  and  the  ancient 
Britons,  according  to  the  descriptions  handed  down  to 
MS  is  remembered.  Should  the  country  be  occupied  by 
civihV.ed  races  who  have  the  advantages  of  all  the 
wonderful  modem  inventions  and  implements,  Alaska 
may  yet  play  an  important  part  in  the  great  future  and 
the  development  of  the  resources  of  its  mines,  waters 
and  forests  may  one  day  contribute  largely  to  tbe 
welfare  of  the  human  family." 

ACROSTIC. 

A    laska,  fur  ofT  laiul,  in  mj'st'ry  Toilod; 

L    and  or  the  walrus,  and  the  midnight  sun ; 

A    rmles  of  men,  thy  tracklesa  wastes,  have  trail'd, 

S    e"kini;  for  gold — the  work's  but  yet  begun  : 

K     londyke's  the  echo  of  the  call  to  arni:>, 

A    ud  men  will  {ro  iu  spite  of  all  alaruu. 


T 


19 


..!' 


JT   IS  probable  that   ninety-nine  per 
CHAPTER  III.   1    cent,  of  the  readers  of  this  \7ork 

would  be  found,  npon  inves  J^^tioa, 
Gold  Minins:.  to  be  as  ignorant  of  the  details  and 

intricacies  of  gold  mining  as  a  pract- 
ical miner  would  l>e  of  manufacturing  muslin,  or  of  cul- 
tivating coffes.  A  few  words,  therefore,  may  not  be  out 
of  place  upon  a  subject  which  has  become  of  almost  uni- 
versal interest.  Thousands  of  men  who  have  passed  the 
better  part  of  their  lives  in  cities,  and  who  have  never 
handled  a  spade  or  rocked  a  cradle,  are  being  attracted 
to  the  Klondyke  region  because  they  have  read  in  news- 
papers that  immense  quantities  of  gold  dust  have  been 
•r.on  from  the  beds  of  rivers  and  creeks,  with  consum- 
mate  ease,  and  with  the  aid  of  primitive  appliances. 
These  men  are  undertaking  a  task  which  will  inevitably 
cause,  to  many  of  them,  bitter  repentance.  The  life  of 
the  typical  gold  miner  is  one  of  hard  work,  exposure, 
and  ceaseless  temptation.  In  the  severe  Alaskan  clim- 
ate the  work  will  be  still  harder,  the  exposure  greater, 
and  the  temptations  none  the  less. 

It  has  been  frequently  asserted,  and  I  am  inclined 
by  my  own  experience  to  confirm  the  statement,  that 
every  dollar's  worth  of  gold  which  has  been  won  from 
the  earth's  secret  store-houses  has  cost  two  dollars  to 
procure.  That  statement  is,  of  course,  with  regard  to 
all  the  gold  which  has  been  found,  as  against  the  total 
expenditure  involved  in  obtaining,  or  in  trying  to  ob- 
tain, gold.  Every  man  who  journeys  to  Klondyke  must 
have  money  wherewith  to  purchase  the  necessaries  of 
life  mitil  he  can  earn  sufficient  to  defray  his  current  ex- 
penses. Let  it  be  assumed,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that,  including  those  adventurers  who  have  recently 
thronged  the  v&sels  leaving  San  Francisco,  Seattle,  and 


!•. 


-   1 


ao         T/rE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 

other  ports,  twenty  thousand  persons  will  "afelj  reach 
the  Klondykc  j^old  fields  by  the  month  of  Jane  next.  It 
is  perfectly  safe  to  say  that  five  thousand  of  those  gold 
seekers — most  of  them  novices  and  tyros  at  the  business 

— will,  from   one  cause  or  an- 
other,   such     as     slothfulness, 
drunketicss,    sickness,   want  of 
'^  "  '^tl/^j\  perseverance,  gambling,  lack  of 

n^.\-/^l<^  fir  \      opportunity   (synonymous  with 

ill-luck),  fail  to  earn  anything 
in  proportion  to  the  heavy  ex- 
pense of  procuring  a  bare  sub- 
sistence. Let  it  also  be  assumed 
that  each  of  these  forlorn  ones 
carries  with  him,  at  the  start 
(including  the  cost  of  tlic  journey  from  home),  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  We  have»  then,  an  expendi- 
ture in  gross  of  three  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  /  ^ainst  this  we  must  take  into  ac- 
count the  earnings  of  the  other  fifteen  thousand  advent- 
urers, some  few  of  whom  will  undoubtedly  '*  strike  it 
rich.  "  But  from  those  earnings  must  also  be  deducted 
the  expenses  incurred,  which,  by  the  most  reasonable 
calculation,  will  amount  to  $i,ooo  each.  The  men  who 
cam  freely  spend  more,  to  say  nothing  ot  dissipation  and 
gambling.  Fifteen  thousand  times  one  thousand  dollars 
amounts  to  $15,000,000.  Add  that  sum  to  the  53,750,000 
which  have  already  disappeared  and  we  have  a  grand 
total  of  $18,750,000.  The  figures  are  startling,  are  they 
not?  But  they  will  be  found,  by  practical  experience, 
to  be  approximately  correct.  Will  any  one  venture  to 
say  that  the  gn.js  earnings  of  these  20  000  people  may, 
by  September,  1898,  amount  to  more  than  $18,000,000? 
The  earnings  may,  of  course,  reach  thirty  millions,  but, 
from  a  conservative  standpoint,  I  assert  tthat  if  my  esti- 
mate be  inaccurate  it  is  more  likely  to  err  on  an  under- 
estimate of  the  actual  expenditure  than  an  over-estimate 
of  the  receipts.  But,  whichever  way  it  may  turn  out, 
there  is  infinite  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  enormous 
sums  of  money  will  be  put  into  active  circulation;  that 


\ 


•"■  i: 


'cacli 
I.    It 
Rold 
dness 
r  an- 
Iness, 
nt  of 
ick  of 
i  with 
thing 
y  cx- 
5  sub- 
sumed 
1  oncsi 
;  start 
,  seven 
pendi- 
d  fifty 
ito  ac- 
idvcnt- 
rike  it 
:ducted 
sunable 
en  who 
ion  and 
dollars 
750,000 
1  grand 
ire  they 
erieoce, 
iture  to 
>le  may, 

X)0,000? 

ms,  but, 
my  esti- 
1  under- 
estimate 
;um  out, 
normous 
ion;  that 


i 


^ 


s 


GOLD  MIMNG.  21 

some  few  persons  will  realize,  to  the  fall,  their  ambition 
and  dreams  of  riches;  and,  reversing  the  shield,  that  a 
host  of  disappointed  men  will  be  bewailing  their  ill-for- 
tnne,  their  lo^s  of  health,  and  their  impecuniosity. 

Let  us  go  back  to  the  Califomian  boom  of  1S49  in 
order  to  institute  a  fair  comparison.  Two  billion  dollars 
were  taken  out  of  the  mountains  of  the  Pacific  Slope, 
bnt  the  bulk  of  the  money  fell  into  but  few  hands.  The 
greatest  winners  were : 

Leland  Stanford Estimated  profit,  $35,000,000 

C.  P.  Huntington **  **        35,000,000 

Clans  Spreckels *'  "        30,000000 

James  G.  Fair •*  "        25,000,000 

Charles  Crocker **  ••        22,000.000 

Mark  Hopkins **  *'        21,000,000 

Peter  Donahoe "  ••        20,000,000 

J.  B.  Haggin •*  "         20.000,000 

Sharon  ^tatc •*  ••        20.000,000 


$228,000,000 
Showing  that  less  than  ten  men  acquired  more  than 
one-tenth  of  the  total  gold  recovered. 

It  has  been  the  same  iu  South  Africa,  only  more 
strikingly  in  favor  of  the  argu;  ^  ,at  that  but  a  few  grow 
rich  through  gold  mining.  The 
total  amount  of  gold  recovered 
since  the  opening  of  the  South 
African  fields  in  1890,  up  to 
June,  1896,  is  set  down  at 
$212,000,000.  Where  has  it 
gone?  Barney  Bamato  was  re- 
puted to  be  worth  $200,000,000; 
J.  B.  Robinson  is  credited  with 
a  fortune  of  $250,000,000;  Al- 
fred Belt  is  supposed  to  have 
accumulated  $100,000.000 ;  and  Cecil  Rhodes*  fortune' 
is  estimated  at  $50,000,000  Four  men  with  $600,000,- 
000  between  them  !  Allowing  that  a  large  proportion 
of  this  wealth  was  derived  from  diamond  raining,  which 
was  indeed  the  case,  there  would  not  be  a  vast  sum 


KLONDVKC   MINING. 


i  i 


'    ! 


\    1 


1  ■• 

i    * 
1    > 


I.; 


•  1 


•?¥*r^ 


*i^^»^ 


THAWI*ia  OUT'OMAVEU 


TAKINa  OUT  ^AV  DIRT. 


"Gold!  Gold!  Gold!  Gold! 
Hrigbt  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold, 
Mullen,  graven,  hammer'd  and  roll'd; 
Heavy  to  get,  and  light  to  hold ; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bocuht  and  sold, 
Spurn'd  by  the  young,  but  hugg'd  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  churchyard  mould; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold ; 
Gold!  Gold!  Gold!  Gold!" 

—ram  Uood. 


\\        \ 


I 


^ 


Ilr    ! 


^^<" 


Uood. 


GOLD  AflN/NG. 


23 


remaining  for  the  niaiority  of  prospectors  and  miners  in 
South  Africa,  after  deducting  the  sums  actually  made 
through  gold  mining  by  the  four  persons  above  men- 
tioned. 

Commencing  with  the  date  of  the  discovery  of 
America  up  to  the  close  of  the  year  1S95,  the  statisti- 
cians of  the  various  governments  of  the  world  estimate 
the  value  of  the  total  amonnt  of  gold  mined,  throughout 
the  world,  at  less  than  $9,000,000,000.  If  the  fact  could, 
indeed,  be  ascertained,  it  would  not,  in  the  least,  sur- 
prise me  to  learn  that  the  toial  expenditure  in  direct  re- 
lation to  gold  mining,  during  the  period  above  men- 
tioned, has  amounted  J  $20,000,000,000.  The  figures, 
in  any  event,  are  startlingly  impressive;  and,  if  they  do 
not  precisely  adorn  a  tale,  they,  at  least,  point  a  very 
useful  moral  which  should  deter  a  great  many  adventur- 
ous and  hopeful  spirits  from  indulging  in  "great  expec- 
tations*' which,  excepting  in  few  and  remote  cases,  are 
'doomed  never  to  be  realized. 

The  fact,  however,  that  the  wealth  now  being  ex* 
tracted  from  the  Klondyke  gold  fields  is  found  in  the 
beds  of  creeks  and  rivers,  and  can  be  recovered  without 
the  aid  of  heavy  machinery  and  scientific  appliances  so 
indispensable  in  quartz  mining,  gives  an  impetus  and  an 
infinitely  greater  chance  to  the  individual  adventurer. 
All  the  same,  in  my  opinion,  the  ownership  of  the  best 
claims  on  the  Klondyke  fields  will  ultimately  drift  into 
the  hands  of  wealthy  men  and  corporations.  'Twas  ever 
thus.  Capital  is  already  forcing  its  way  into  the  region. 
Wall  Street  is  on  the  qui  vizr.  Men  like  James  R. 
Keene  (who  is  reputed  to  have  recently  made  upwards 
of  $2,000,000  out  of  sugar  trust  speculations),  are  ready 
to  embark  capital  in  the  new  Kldorado.  In  opposition 
to  these  the  m^re  novice  has,  in  the  long  run,  no  chance 
whatever.  The  capitalist  can  stay  at  home  and  pull  the 
sti  Tgs.  He  can  most  certainly  secure,  and  he  can  afford 
to  '  agage,  the  very  best  expert  talent,  and  by  liberal 
treatment  of  those  whom  he  employs,  he  can  ensure 
honest  and  faithful  representation.  Gold  mining, 
wherever  oondnjted,  and  tinder  whatever  conditions, 


«4 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


tiltimately  resolves  itself  into  the  employment  of  labor; 
and,  be  the  price  of  that  labor  ever  so  high  for  the  time 
Ijeing,  the  capitalist  who  is  properly  represented  must 
inevitably  reap  the  best  reward.  The  laborer,  though 
well  and  liberally  paid,  has  to  live  and,  under  existing 
conditions,  on  the  Klondyke  gold  fields  he  has  to  pay  an 
enormous  price  for  the  privilege 

Were  I  in  possession  of  $100,000  I  would  rather  pay 
$50,000  for  a  partly  worked  claim  on  the  Klondyke, 
which  I  knew  to  be  prolific,  than  prospect  in  untried 
ground.  The  pipers  intimate,  through  their  numerous 
correspondents,  that  by  next  June  every  inch  of  ground 
on  the  Klondyke  fields  will  be  staked  out  and  that 
thousands  of  people  will  be  seeking  in  vain  for  a  loca- 
tion. That  is  extremely  likely.  But  there  will  be 
plenty  of  claims  in  the  market.  Everything  is  for  sale 
in  this  world — at  a  price.  And  all  this  tends  to  benefit 
the  discreet  and  patient  capitalist  who  can  afford  to  ri«k 
money  which  the  ordinary  run  of  adventurers  can  never, 
by  any  possibility,  command.  The  average  man,  with 
a  small  capitil  of  $1,000  would,  in  my  view,  do  better 
to  stay  at  home  and  invest  his  money  in  the  stock  of  a 
jiowerful  corporation — always  provitling  that  he  could 
tliscover  a  corporation  which  is  managed  by  practical 
business  men  and  Jujiestly  conducted.  If  he  takes  his 
$1  000  to  the  fields  he  must  be  lucky  to  come  out  ahead. 
If  he  b  I  actually  lucky,  his  investment  of  the  money  in 
the  right  kind  of  stock  will  bring  him  su!>stantial  profits, 
and  that  without  risk  to  health,  or  absence  from  his 
regular  occupation.  I  need  not  now  enlar.'^e  on  this  sub- 
ject as  a  few  pages  will  be  devoted  to  it  later  in  these 
annals. 

When  I  wrote  the  heading  of  this  chapter  I  had  it 
in  m'nd  to  restrict  its  contents  to  details  connected  with 
the  practical  side  of  gold  mining;  but,  carried  away  for 
the  moment,  I  have  introduced  a  discussion  which  may 
not,  I  hope,  be  found  uninteresting.  The  practical  side 
cannot,  however,  be  neglected,  aud  the  following  notes, 
confirmed  by  my  own  experience,  are  taken  from  the 
best  and  most  reliable  records  obtainable. 


GOLD  MINING, 


25 


*The  association  and  distribution  of  gold  may  be 
considered  under  two  different  beads ;  namely,  as  it 
occurs  in  mineral  veins,  and  in  alluvial  or  otber  super, 
ficirfl  deposits  whicb  are  derived  from  tbe  waste  of  the 
former.  As  regards  tbe  first,  it  is  chiefly  found  in 
quart?  veins  or  reefi  traversing  slaty  or  crystalline 
rocks,  usually  talcose  or  cbloritic  schists,  either  alone 
or  in  association  with  iron,  copper,  magnetic  and  arseni- 
cal pyrites,  galena,  specnlar  iron  ore,  and  silver  ores, 
and  more  rarely  with  sulphide  ot  molybdenum,  tungstate 
of  calcium,  bismuth,  and  tellurium  minerals.  Another 
more  exceptional  association  is  that  with  bismuth  in 
calcite  from  Queensland.  In  Hungary,  the  Urals,  and 
in  northern  Pen:,  silicates  and  carbonates  of  manganese 
are  not  uncommonly  found  in  tbe  gold  and  silver 
bearing  veins.  Tn  the  second  or  alluvial  class  of 
deposits  the  associated  minerals  are  chiefly  those  of 
great  density  and  hardness,  such  as  platinum,  osmiri- 
dura,  and  other  metals  of  the  platinum  group,  tinstone, 
chromic,  magnetic,  and  brown  iron  ores,  diamond,  ruby, 
and  sapphire,  zircon,  topaz,  garnet,  etc.,  which  repre> 
sent  the  more  durable  original  constituents  of  the  rocks 
whose  disintegration  has  furnished  the  detritus. 

"The  distribution  of  gold-bearing  deposits  is  world 
wide;  although  the  relative  importance  of  different 
localities  is  very  different,  their  geological  range  is  also 
very  extensive.  In  Europe,  the  pnncipal  groups  of 
veins  are  in  slaty  or  crystalline  schists,  whose  age, 
when  it  can  be  determined,  is  usually  Palaeozoic, 
Silurian,  Devonian,  or  Carboniferous,  and  less  commonly 
in  volcanic  formations  of  Tertiary  age.  Tbe  allnvial 
deposits  being  more  extensive,  are  less  intimately  con- 
nected with  any  particular  series  of  rocks.  Few,  if 
cither  are,  however,  of  much  importance  as  compared 
with  the  more  productive  deposits  of  America  and 
Atistralia. 

"The  Russian  Empire  has  the  largest  gold  pro- 
duction among  the  countries  of  the  Old  World,  most  of 
the  produce,  however,  being  derived  finom  its  Asiatic 

•EmeytUp^iim  Brilmuiem^  V»L  to. 


26 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


I  '. 


V    I 


I   I 


0».O     S'^Lt 


territories.  The  richest  of  the  Ural  mines  are  those  of 
Smolensk,  near  Miask,  and  Ouspensk,  near  the  village 
of  Katchkar,  in  52**  N.  The  alluvial  deposits  which, 
though  called  sands,  are  but  very  slightly  sandy  clays, 
extend  to  the  north  beyond  the  inhabited  regions,  and 
to  the  south  into  the  Cossack  and  Bashkir  countries. 

"On  the  Pacific  side  of  America  gold  is  found  under 
very  dififerent  conditions,  and  on  a  much  larger  scale 

than  on  the  Atlantic  side.  The 
whole  c'istance  from  Mexico  to 
Alaska  may  be  said  to  be  more 
or  less  auriferous,  the  most  ex- 
tensive deposits  being  in  the 
great  North-and-South  valley  of 
the  Sacramento,  which  runs 
parallel  to  the  coast  between 
the  so-called  Coast  Mountains 
and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  lat- 
ter being  distinguished  further 
to  the  north  in  the  Cascade  Range. 

**  The  various  deposits  of  gold  may  be  divided  into 
two  classes — '  veins '  and  *  placers.  *  The  vein  mining 
of  gold  does  not  greatly  differ  from  that  of  similar  de- 
posits of  metals.  It  will  only  be  necessary  to  refer  here 
Co  certain  details  of  the  extraction  of  gold  in  such  cases. 
In  the  placer  or  alluvial  deposits,  the  precious  metal  is 
found  usually  in  a  water-worn  condition  imbedded  in 
csirthy  matter,  and  the  method  of  working  all  such  de- 
posits is  based  on  the  disintegration  of  the  earthy  matter 
by  the  action  of  a  stream  of  water,  which  washes  away 
the  lighter  portions  and  leaves  the  denser  gold.  In  allu- 
vial deposits  the  richest  ground  is  tisually  found  in  con- 
tact with  the  'bed  rock;*  and,  when  the  overlaying 
cover  of  gravel  is  very  thick,  or,  as  sometimes  happens, 
when  the  older  gravel  is  covered  with  a  flow  of  basalt, 
regular  mining  by  shafts  and  levels,  as  in  what  are 
known  as  tunnel-claims,  may  be  required  to  reach  the 
auriferous  ground.  In  the  early  days  of  gold  washing 
in  California  and  Australia  (and  as  now  in  evidence  at 
the  Klondyke  r«giou),  when  rich  alluvial  deposits  were 


: 


i' 


se  of 

llage 

lich, 

lays, 

and 

s. 

ander 

scale 

The 
ico  to 

more 
(St  ex- 
n  the 
Hey  of 

runs 
itween 
mtains 
he  lat- 
further 

;d  into 
mining 
(lar  de- 
er here 
1  cases, 
ictal  is 
Ided  in 
ach  de- 
j  matter 
!S  away 
In  allu- 
in  con- 
erlaying 
lappens, 
■  basalt, 
phat  are 
ach  the 
crashing 
dence  at 
its  were 


COLD  MINING. 


27 


commoa  at  the  surface,  the  most  simple  appliances  suf- 
ficed; the  most  characteristic  being  the  *paa, '  a  circu- 
lar dish  of  sheet-ire  1  with  sloping  sides  about  thirteen 
or  fourteen  inches  in  diameter.  The  pan,  about  tTTO- 
thirds  filled  with  *  pay  dirt '  to  be  washed,  is  held  in  the 
stream  or  in  a  hole  filled  with  water.  The  ml ^er,  afler 
separating  the  larger  stones  by  hand,  imparts  a  g>Tator7 
motion  to  the  pan  by  a  combination  of  shaking  and 
twisting  movements,  which  it  is  impossible  to  describe 
explicitly,  so  as  to  keep  its  contents  suspended  in  the 
stream  of  water,  which  carries  away  the  bulk  of  the 
lighter  material,  leaving  a  black  residue  consisting  of 
magnetic  iron  ore  and  other  heavy  minerals,  together 
with  any  gold  which  may  originally  have  been  present 
in  the  mass.  The  washing  is  repeated  until  enough  of 
the  enriched  sand  is  collected,  when  the  gold  is  finally 
recovered  by  careful  washing  or  '  panning  out '  in  a 
smaller  pan. 

"The  •  cradle,*  a  simple  appliance  for  treating  some- 
what larger  quantities,  varies  in  length  from  three  feet, 
six  inches,  to  seven  feet,  but  the  shorter  length  is  that 
usually  adopted.  Water  is  poured  on  the  dirt,  and  the 
rocking  motion  imparted  to  the  cradle  causes  the  finer 
particles  to  pass  through  the  holes  in  the  hopper  on  to 
the  screen,  which  is  of  canvas,  and  thence  to  the  base 
of  the  cradle,  where  the  auriferous  particles  accumulate 
on  transverse  bars  of  wood  called  '  riffles.*  The  *  torn  * 
is  a  sort  of  cradle,  with  an  extended  sluice  placed  on  an 
incline  of  about  one  foot  in  twelve.  The  upper  end 
contains  a  perforated  riddle  plate,  which  is  placed  di- 
rectly over  the  riffle  box,  and  under  certain  circum- 
stances mercury  msy  be  placed  behind  the  riffles. 
Copper  plates,  amalgamated  with  mercury,  are  also  used 
when  the  gold  is  very  fine,  and  even  in  some  instances 
amalgamated  silver  coins  have  been  employed  for  the 
same  purpose.  Sometimes  the  stuff  is  disintegrated 
with  water  in  a  'paddling  machine,'  which  is  used, 
especially  in  Australia,  where  the  earthy  matters  are 
tenacious  and  water  scarce. 

"  In  workings  on  a  Ivger  scale,  where  the  snpply 


s8 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


'  i. 


ii ' 


of  water  is  abundant,  as  in  California,  slnices  are  gener- 
ally employed.  They  are  shallow  troughs  about  twelve 
feet  long,  about  sixteen  to  twenty  inches  wide,  and  one 
foot  in  depth.  The  troughs  taper  slightly  so  that  they 
can  be  joined  in  series,  the  total  length  often  reaching 
several  hundred  feet.  In  the  larger  and  more  permanent 
erections  used  in  hydraulic  mining,  the  upper  ends  of 
the  sluices  are  often  cut  in  rock,  or  lined  with  stoue 
blocks,  the  grating  stopping  the  larger  stones  being 
known  as  the  'grizzly.'  In  order  to  save  very  fine, 
and  especially  rusty  particles  of  gold,  so-called  *  under- 
current sluices  *  are  used ;  these  are  shallow  wooden 
tanks,  fifty  square  yards  and  upwards  in  area,  which  are 
placed  somewhat  below  the  main  sluice,  and  commu- 
nicate with  it  above  and  below,  the  entry  being  protected 
by  a  grating  so  that  only  the  finer  material  is  admitted. 
These  are  paved  with  stone  blocks,  or  lined  with  mercury 
rifiles,  so  that  from  the  greatly  reduced  velocity  of  flow, 
due  to  the  sudden  increase  of  surface,  the  finer  particles 
of  gold  may  collect.  In  order  to  save  finely-divided 
gold,  amalgamated  copper  plates  are  sometimes  placed 
in  a  nearly  level  position,  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  head  of  the  sluice,  the  gold  which  is  retained  in  it 
being  removed  from  time  to  time. 

"  The  so-called  hydraulic  system  of  mining  is  carried 
on  by  the  application  of  a  jet  of  water  to  the  removal  of 
auriferous  gravels.  This  method  has  for  the  most  part 
been  confined  to  the  country  of  its  invention,  California, 
and  the  Western  territories  of  America,  where  the  con- 
ditions favorable  for  its  use  are  more  fully  developed 
than  elsewhere — notably  thw  presence  of  thick  banks  of 
gravel  that  cannot  be  utilized  by  other  methods,  and 
abnn(lan'\;  of  water,  even  though  considerable  work 
m'iy  be  required  at  times  to  make  it  available.  At  an 
hydraulic  gold-working  the  water  is  brought  from  a 
ditch  on  the  high  ground,  and  through  a  line  of  pipes 
to  the  distributing  box,  whence  the  branch  pipes  sup- 
plying two  or  three  jets  diverge.  The  stream  issues 
through  a  nozzle  resembling  that  of  a  fire  engine,  which 
is  movable  in  a  horizontal  plane  arotind  a  vertical  axis, 


genet- 
twelve 
ad  one 
It  they 
aching 
manent 
ends  of 
ti  stoue 
5  being 
ry  fine, 
*  under- 
wooden 
hich  are 
commu- 
•rotected 
dmiUed. 
mercury 
r  of  flow, 
particles 
/-divided 
a  placed 
mce  from 
nedin  it 

is  carried 
emoval  of 
most  part 
:alifornia, 
e  the  con- 
developed 
c  banks  of 
hods,  and 
able   work 
le.     At  an 
lit  from  a 
le  of  pipes 
pipes  sup- 
eam  issues 
pne,  which 
:rtical  axis, 


f 


GOLD  MINING. 


ag 


and  in  a  vertical  plane  on  a  spherical  joint  and  center, 
so  that  the  direction  of  the  jet  may  be  varied  throu«;h 
considerable  angles  by  simply  moving  a  handle.  The 
material  of  the  bank,  being  loosened  by  the  catting 
action  of  the  water,  crumbles  into  holts,  or,  as  the 
common  phrase  expresses  it,  '  caves  in,'  and  the  super- 
incumbent mass,  often  with  large  trees  and  stones,  lalls 
into  the  lower  ground.  The  stream,  laden  with  stones 
and  gravel,  passes  into  the  sluices,  where  the  gold  is 
recovered  in  the  manner  already  described.  Under  the 
most  advantageous  conditions,  the  loss  of  gold  may  Im 
estimated  at  15  or  20  per  cent. 

"The  dressing  or  mechanical  preparation  of  vein 
stuff  containing  gold  is  generally  similar  to  that  of  other 
ores,  except  that  the  precious  metal  should  be  removed 
from  the  waste  substances  as  quickly  as  possible,  even 
although  other  minerals  of  value  that  are  subsequently 
recovered  may  be  present.  This  is  usually  done  by 
amalgamation  with  mercury.  In  all  cases  the  quartz  or 
other  vein  stuff  must  be  red\.  ?ed  to  a  very  fine  powder 
as  a  preliminary  to  further  operations. 

*•  By  far  the  largest  proportion  of  the  gold  quartz  of 
California  and  Australia  is  reduced  by  the  stamp  mill, 
which  is  similar  in  principle  to  that  used  in  England  for 
the  preparation  of  tin  and  other  ores,  but  has  received 
special  modification  in  many  details. 

"There  are  many  forms  of  pan  amalgamators  of 
which  it  is  needless  to  g^ve  a  description.  It  may  be 
stated,  however,  that  experience  of  the  great  variety  of 
p^us,  from  time  to  time  devised,  has  led  to  the  adoption 
of  the  more  simple  forms,  in  which  grinding  is  effected 
between  horizontal  flat  surfaces  instead  of  carved  or  con- 
ical bottoms,  and  in  the  pans  now  usually  employed 
these  flat  grinding  surfaces  form  an  annular  floor  round 
a  central  cone  through  which  a  vertical  shaft  passes. 
One  of  the  greatest  diEE^ulties  in  the  treatment  of  gold 
by  amalgamation,  and  uiore  particularly  in  the  treat- 
ment of  pyrites,  arises  from  the  so-called  sickening  or 
flouring  of  the  mercury;  that  is,  the  particles,  losing 
their  toight  metallic  surikces,  are  no  loager  capable  of 


36        THE  KLONDY/CE  COLD  FIELDS, 

coalescing  with  or  taking  np  other  metals.  Of  the  nnm- 
erous  remedies  proposed  the  most  efficacious  is  perhaps 
sodium  amalgam.  It  appears  that  amalgamation  is 
often  impeded  by  the  tarnish  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
gold  when  it  is  associated  with  sulphur,  arsenic,  bis- 
muth, antimony,  or  tellurium." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  works,  having  reference 
to  mining,  which  has  appeared  during  recent  3'ears,  was 
published  in  1895,  under  the  title  of  ''Minerals,"  and 
emanated  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Frederick  H.  Smith  of 
Baltimore,  Md.,  from  which  I  quote  as  follows: 

"Although  gold  is  distributed  among  all  rocks  and 
formations,  its  derivation  from  some  earliest  matrix  is 
certain.  Of  course  it  came  down  originally  out  of  the 
condensing  gasses  along  with  all  other  terrestrial 
substances,  but  there  are  reasons  for  thinking  that  the 
golden  rain  was  one  of  the  earliest  incidents  of  world 
building,  and  that  it  was  subsequently  covered  up  by 
the  deposits  of  lighter  substances  on  top.  In  fact  it  is 
not  at  all  improbable  that  gold  may  be  one  of  the  metals 
which  are  supposed  to  constitute  tbe  central  core  of  the 
globe,  and  which  makes  the  whole  mass  of  the  specific 
gravity  of  5  2  ;  while  that  of  the  crust  of  rocks,  etc.,  is 
only  about  2.6,  on  an  average.  This  fact  alone  proves 
a  great  concentration  of  heavy  substances  at  the  centre 
of  the  globe ;  and  as  gold  is  so  heavy  in  its  metallic 
condition,  and  so  energetically  resists  combination  with 
other  high  fire-proof  substances  which  would  lighten  it, 
there  is  strong  probability  that  gold  is  an  important 
constituent  of  this  heavy  core. 

"Down  among  the  Iwttom  rocks  of  the  primaries,  in 
the  gneisses  and  granites  we  first  find  feold,  and  we  find 
it  associated  wxih.  Pyrites  or  sulphide  ore^of  iron,  copper, 
silver  and  other  metals.  These  sulphides  are  in  veins, 
mostly  true  fissure  veins,  which  open  downwards  into 
th^  great  unknown,  and  show  all  the  marks  of  having 
been  filled  with  the  pyritous  ores  by  the  injection  from 
be!ow  of  melted  substance  and  its  subsequent  cooling 
end  cr>'stallization.  These  fissures,  down  in  the  lowest 
^nown   formations  and  igneous   rocks    are    generally 


,: 


GOLD  MINING. 


3« 


filled  from  wall  to  wall  with  pyritous  ores,  bnt  when  we 
get  np  among  the  Huronian  and  lower  Silurian  rocks 
we  find  that  great  quantities  of  quartz  are  intermixed 
with  the  pyrites,  and  indeed  the  fissures  are  sometimes 
filled  with  quartz  from  wall  to  wall.  Often  the 
quartz  and  pyrites  are  in  sheets  or  layers,  alternating, 
accompanied  by  barytest  calcite,  and  other  common 
gangue  rock  of  veins. 

'*It  is  an  observed  fact  that  the  gold  in  the 
sulphides  of  the  lower  veins  is  infinitesimally  small  in 
grain,  while  that  found  up  among  the  quartz  is  larger, 
and  can  even  sometimes  be  seen  in  the  quartz  by  the 
unaided  eye.  That  in  sulphides  is  so  fine  that  very 
many  particles  are  reqtiired  to  be  gotten  together  to 
make  a  speck  or  'color' 

"No  man  likes  to  say  straight  out  that  there  is  a 
natural  gold  sulphide,  yet  many  claim  that  these 
invisible  particles  are  really  atomic,  just  freed  from 
combination  with  sulphur,  and  become  visible  when 
Aggregating  into  molecules  of  otM  "r*** 
gold.  Others  claim  that  the  "T::^*^^ 
gold  is  in  flakes,  or  rather  films 
of  infinite  thinness  intercalated 
between  the  little  cubical  crys« 
tals  of  pyritous  ores,  as  are  the 
mortars  and  cements  in  the 
joints  of  brickwork  or  masonry. 
Others  hold  that  each  particle 
of  gold  is  enveloped  in  a  block 
or  crystal  of  pyrites,  and  is 
freed  mechanically  by  the  crushing  of  this  crystal,  or 
chemically  by  the  oxidation  of  the  pyrites  in  open  air 
weathering  or  in  furnace  treatment.  Still  another  idea 
is  that  as  gold  in  Nature  is  always  alloyed  with  a  little 
silver,  copper  or  other  meial,  the  sulphur  lajrs  hold  of 
such  other  metal  and  forms  a  film  of  sulphide 
ore  arotmd  the  gold  without  actually  combining 
with  the  gold  Itself.  When  this  sulphide  film  is 
oxidized  it  becomes  a  film  of  oxide  ore,  and  is  then 
c«U^  'rusty'  gold  by  the    inaledictating    inisers, 


V^«(^ii/ 


32         THE  KLONDYKE  COLD  FIELDS, 

who   cannot    make   their   mercnry   lay   hold^  of    it. 

"In  veins  containing  much  quartz  the  gold  is  found 
in  both  the  quartz  and  the  pyrites,  but  that  in  the 
quartz  is  generally  much  larger  in  grain  than  that  in 
the  pyrites,  although  they  may  be  in  the  closest 
proximity.  Why  this  is  thus,  and  how  the  gold 
traveled  from  the  pyrites  into  the  hard  body  of  the 
quartz,  are  questions  not  yet  answered  satisfactorily. 
Then,  again,  the  quartz  will  contain  numerotis  little 
sharp-cornered  cavities  which  formerly  contained  crys« 
tals  of  sulphides  which  have  become  oxidized  naturally, 
and  the  cavities  now  contain  the  brown  iron  oxide  dust 
and  the  minute  particles  cf  gold  which  have  been 
released  by  the  oxidation. 

"Gold  is  also  found  in  reins  of  pure  quartz  with  no 
admixture  of  sulphides,  and  n  j  signs  of  there  having 
ever  been  any  there.  In  these  cases  the  gold  is  all  free 
gold,  and  apt  to  be  in  grains  round  in  shape  and  large 
enough  to  be  seen  in  the  quartz  with  the  naked  eye, 
although  very  large  fortunes  have  been  made  out  of 
veins  of  this  class  in  which  the  gold  was  invisible  until 
the  particles  were  concentrated.  Some  hold  that  the 
gold  got  into  these  qur.r*z  veins  by  precipitation  from 
some  chlorine  or  other  chemical  solution  included  in  the 
silicious  mother  liquor,  out  of  which  the  quartz  was 
crystallized.  Others,  that  the  gold  was  washed  out  of 
an  igneous  vein  and  washed  into  the  open  top  of  the 
quartz  vein ;  and  still  others  assert  that  the  gold  was 
originally  disseminated  throughout  ,the  mass  of  the 
country  rock,  and  was  drawn  into  the  fissure  in  some 
chlorine  solution  right  through  the  wall  rock  by  some 
sort  of  electricity. 

"It  is  well  to  reflect  that,  perhaps,  all  the  theories 
may  be  right,  some  in  one  place,  others  in  other  places, 
and  some  c  ses  may  be  the  result  of  all  acting  together, 
reinforced  by  others  not  yet  stated ;  and  the  best  we  can 
do  is  to  say,  Quicn  Sabcf 

"The  quartz  intermixed  in  pjrritic  veins  is  vitreous 
quartz,  and  is  nearly  always  auriferous,  while  vitreous 
quartz  in  a  vein  all  to  itself  is  rarely  so,    A  quartz 


•  ii: 


..I'- 


r 


// 


,/'■ 


i 


\ 


rtl 
■I 


«l 
Ml 

"I 

■I 


34 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


which  has  a  granular,  sugary  appearance  is  frequently 
auriferous ;  but  massive,  milky  looking  quartz  is  rarely 
good  for  much. 

"Sometimes  a  sulphide  and  quartz  vein  is  found  in 
which  the  sulphides  have  oxidized  into  a  brown  iron 
ore  douTi  to  the  water  level  of  the  locality,  and  down 
to  that  level  it  pays  to  work  it,  as  the  gold  is  free  from 
sulphur;  but  below  that  level  the  sulphides  are  hard 
and  close,  and  the  money  made  out  of  the  upper  levels 
goes  back  again  into  the  mine  in  the  lower  levels,  unless 
the  workers  have  been  sagacious  enough  to  unload  the 
property  at  the  right  time  and  give  others  a  chance. 

"In  general  terms  the  pulverization  and  oxidation 
to  free  the  gold  from  attached  impurities,  and  the 
washing  and  concentration  to  free  the  gold  from 
intermixed  impurities  are  the  necessary  two  steps  in  all 
processes  of  gold  saving,  but  many  additional  smalt 
steps  have  been  invented  which  facilitate  matters. 
Thechief  of  these  is  the  lugging  in  of  mercury,  which 
assists  in  two  ways  in  separating  the  gold  from  its 
associate  minerals.  Mercury  is  a  fluid  and  has  a 
specific  gravity  of  13.6  commonly,  but  when  entirely 
pure  is   14. 

"To  those  who  are  utterly  unacquainted  with  the 
business  ©f  gold  mining  and  even  to  those  who  have  had 
some  practical  experience  of  such  operations,  the 
following  condensed  information  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
value  : 

"The  cnly  absolute  test  for  determining  the 
presence  of  gold,  is  by  dissolving  the  specimen  of  rock 
or  sand  or  other  suspected  substance  in  nitro-hydro- 
chloric  acid  (aqua  regia),  and  then  pouring  into  the  clear 
solution  some  dissolved  sulphate  of  iron  (copperas). 
This  will  precipitate  to  the  bottom,  in  the  form  of  a 
reddish-brown  powder,  any  gold  that  may  be  in  the 
solution.  Rub  this  brown  powder  with  the  blade  of  a 
knife,  and  it  will  come  out  in  true  gold  colors.  If  you 
have  weighed  the  specimen,  then  you  can  weigh  the 
gold  and  ascertain  the  percentage  of  value  in  the  ore. 
Aqua  regia  is   made   up  of  two  parts,  hydrochloric 


I' 


1) 


-■ 


.. 


GOLD  MINING, 


35 


1 


(mtuiatic)  acid,  and  one  part  of  nitric  acid,  and  it  is  the 
only  acid  which  will  dissolve  gold.  Gold  melts  at 
about  2,6oo  degrees. 

"A  usual  method  to  ascertain  practically  the  value 
of  pyrites  is  to  pulverize  a  weighed  specimen  to  about 
the  size  of  fine  sind,  then  roast  it  at  a  red  heat  (not  too 
hot),  until  no  more  sulphur  fumes  arise,  then  pulverize 
it  again  to  as  fine  a  gr^in  as  you  can  get  it  with  a 
hammeripor  aQ(j  rubbing  motion,  then  wash  off  all  the 
lighter  stuff  by  panning,  then  put  it  in  a  china  cup  with 
a  half-teaspoonful  of  mercury  and  mix  it  for  half  an  hour 
with  a  wooden  stick,  then  wash  off  everything  except 
the  mercury,  then  put  the  cup  on  a  shovel  and  heat  it 
carefully  over  a  fire  until  all  the  mercury'  is  driven  off  in 
fumes,  and  the  reddish-brown  powder  left  in  the  cup  is 
abo.ut  all  the  gold  there  was  in  the  specimen.  Quartz 
specimens  can  be  treated  in  the  same  way.  The 
roasting  of  quartz  and  suddenly  dropping  it  hot  into 
cold  water  is  good  for  it." 

Much  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  chapter  being 
of  a  technical  character  may  have  proved  "dry  reading" 
to  many  ;  but  if  my  friend,  the  reader,  be  but  an  amateur 
gold  miner,  it  is  as  well  for  him  to  bear  in  mind  one 
important  fact,  namely,  that  rich  placer  diggings  do  not 
last  for  ever,  and  that,  once  he  enters  upon  the  vocation 
of  a  prospector,  he  has  much,  indeed,  to  learn,  in  the 
nature  of  which  the  matter  herein  contained  should 
prove  a  practical  and  comparatively  easy  lesson  and  a 
fair  commencement. 

Bvery  person  who  is  about  to  seek  for  gold  in  the 
Klondyke  region,  and  even  those  who,  though  remaining 
at  home,  are  watching  with  patriotic  interest  the 
development  of  these  portentous  discoveries  should  be 
able,  at  least,  to  "talk  gold,"  and  it  is  one  of  the  objects 
sought  in  the  production  of  this  work,  to  enable  them  to 
do  so  with  a  greater  measure  of  intelligence.  Hence,  X 
tender  no  apology  for  introducing  so  many  pages  of 
heavy  matter  because  they  are  culled,  in  great  part, 
from  the  writings  of  the  highest  scientific,  geological, 
and  practical  authorities* 


«l 


II 

Ml 


36 


Canada's 
Rights. 

operations 
doubtedly. 


FROM  an  American  point  of  view,  It 
is  mncli  to  be  deplored  that  the 
region  now  being  invaded  by  thous- 
ands of  gold  seekers  is  tinder  the 
control  of  the  Canadian  Govern, 
ment.  Dawson  City,  and  the  lands 
adjacent  thereto,  where  gold  mining 
are  at  present  being  conducted,  are,  un- 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  territory 
owned  by  Canada.  The  141st  Meridian  is  recognized 
as  the  dividing  line  between  the  United  States  and 
the  British  possessions,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of 
friction  between  the  respective  governments  as  to  the 
line  of  demarcation,  the  latter  being  purely  a  matter  for 
scientific  determination.  At  the  point  where  the 
Yukon  River  intersects  the  line,  the  difference  in 
locating   the  Meridian  is  but  350  feet. 

The  ui'  )leasant  feature  of  the  situation  arises,  how- 
ever, ill  the  f;ict  that  Canada,  as  officially  announced,  is 
dcternv.r.'.d  to  levy  tribute  on  the  successful  miners  to 

the  extent  of  twenty  per  cent, 
upon  the  gross  findings  of  those 
who  win  $500  per  month,  and 
ten  per  cent,  upon  the  earnings 
of  those  whose  receipts  fall 
below  the  sum  stated.  The 
mining  prospector  will  also  have 
to  pay,  to  the  Dominion  Gov- 
ernment, a  fee  of  $15  upon  stak- 
ing out  a  mining  claim,  and  an 
annual  assessment  of  $100  on 
such  claim,  in  addition  to  the  percentage  referred  to. 
But  the  rapacity  of  the  Canadian  authorities  does  not  ter- 
minate eveu  at  the  point  described.    Each  alternate  claim 


<i,n«i,S« 


i 


is  to  be 

tinder  tl 

joining  < 

product! 

spcculat 

of  the  I 

of  uncot 

and  it  i 

lated  to ! 

relations 

tween    c 

States  ai 

deed,    tl 

trouble  s 

scribed  I 

carried  01 

in  what  z 

gold  dusi 

claim  wo 

diy,  duri 

To  carry  ( 

sitate  the 

there  are 

attempt  t< 

be  forcibi; 

the  part  o 

lead  to  an 

and  the  C 

which  mij 

tics  at  Ol 

gold-beari 

of  effectii 

place  upoi 

lai'se  of  a 

They 

thissubje< 

arc  made: 

move  sloT 

miners.    ; 

and  the  m 


CANADA'S  RIGHTS. 


37 


M5 


'"<-.. 


nitiv3./,/^^ 


is  to  be  reserved  by  the  Government,  and  held  for  sale, 
under  the  presumption  that  the  development  of  the  ad- 
joining claims  (whenever  the  latter  should  prove  specially 
productive),  will  enable  the  authorities  to  secure  large 
speculative  prices  for  the  claims  held  back.  The  whole 
of  the  policy  indicated  savors 
of  uncompromising  selfishness, 
and  it  is  certainly  not  calcu- 
lated to  strengthen  the  friendly 
relations  supposed  to  exist  be- 
tween citizens  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  I  see,  in- 
deed, the  prospect  of  grave 
trouble  should  the  policy  de- 
scribed be  rigidly  obser\'ed  and 
carried  out.  In  the  first  instance, 
in  what  manner  is  the  collection  of  the  per  centage.  on 
gold  dust  won  by  the  miner,  to  bs  made?  Kvery  mining 
claim  would  have  to  be  carefully  watched,  night  and 
diy,  during  the  period  when  the  pay  dirt  is  washed. 
To  carry  out  such  an  exhaustive  scrutiny  would  neces- 
sitate the  employment  of  about  as  many  policeman  as 
there  are  claim  workers.  It  seems,  therefore,  that  an 
attempt  to  compel  payment  of  the  proposed  royalty  may 
be  forcibly  resisted.  A  bare  show  of  such  resistance,  on 
the  part  of  but  a  few  determined  miners,  would  speedily 
lead  to  an  organization  of  the  entire  mining  population, 
and  the  Canadian  officials  would  have  to  face  a  collision 
which  might  result  in  riot  ar.d  bloodshed.  The  authcri* 
tics  at  Ottawa  have,  at  present,  no  such  force  in  the 
gold-bearing  region  as  would  be  efficient  for  the  purpose 
of  effecting  complete  surveillance,. and  they  could  no* 
place  upon  the  ground  a  sufficient  force  until  after  the 
]a[>se  of  a  long  period. 

The  Nen;  York  Sun  recently  published  a  leader  on 
this  subject,  from  which  the  following  pertinent  extracts 
arc  made:  **  We  advise  the  Canadian  Government  to 
move  slowly  in  the  ihatter  of  plundering  American 
miners.  It  is  a  poor  rule  that  will  not  work  both  ways, 
and  the  means  ox  retaliation  will  be  ready  to  our  hands 


Ml 
•I 


«| 
%\ 
"I 


ll 


I  i 


ACROSTIC. 

K  londyke,  thou  bast  a  reputation  made, 

L  oud  are  the  echoes  of  the  pick  and  spade ; 

O  ut  of  tbj'  hidden  treasures  men  may  find 

N  ewest  of  gold— and  yet  no  quartz  to  grind: 

D  ovrn  in  thy  depths  he  sands  with  wealth  antold ; 

Y  ears  may  clnpnc  eic  all  thy  claims  be  sold : 

K  ill  not  the  hosts  that  clamor  at  ihy  git*. 

E  asy  'two'iM  be,  but  spare  them  from  ill  fate 


CHART   SHOWINO    OIViOINO    LINC    BCTWCCN    Ji%ICfllCAN    AND 
BRITISH    POSSESSIONS 


qu 
ap 


CANADA'S  RIGHTS, 


o 


VIA 


AND 


39 


There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  largest  portion  of  the 
gold  deposits  made  by  the  tributaries  of  the  Yukon  lies 
within  American  territory,  and  the  next  deposits  of 
startling  richness  are  expected  to  be  found  in  that 
quarter.  When  the  migration  takes  place,  as  soon  or 
late  it  will,  to  such  new-found  diggings  the  American 
miners,  smarting  under  the  eSfott  to  wring  roj'-alties 
from  them  at  Kload3'ke,  will  not  wait  for  Congress  to 
act  in  the  premises;  they  will  take  the  law  into  their 
own  hands  and  ruthlessly  bar  Canadians  out  of  all  min- 
ing camps  on  American  soil.  The  demand,  hitherto 
unheeded,  for  the  suppression  of  the  bonding  privileges 
now  enjoyed  by  Canadian  railways,  will  become  loud, 
firm  and  irresistible.  At  present,  as  every  one  knows, 
Canadian  railways  are  allowed,  through  the  liberality 
of  our  Government,  to  transport  imported  goods  in  bond 
from  Our  seacoast  to  American  consumers  in  the  far 
West,  whereas  the  same  commodities,  if  they  are  to  be 
transported  over  American  lines,  must  pay  only  at  the 
port  of  entry.  Such  flagrant  discrimination  against 
American  railways  i.n  favor  of  foreign  rivals  w^ill  not  be 
for  a  moment  tolerated  by  the  people  of  this  country 
after  the  rapacious  and  hostile  spirit  of  the  Dominion 
Government  shall  have  been  unmistakably  disclosed  by 
an  attempt  to  rob  American  miners  of  the  fruit  of  the 
fearful  hardships  and  sufferings  incident  to  labor  in  the 
ice-bound  soil  of  the  Arctic  gold  fields.  When  Califor- 
nia's gold  diggings  were  discovered  British  subjects 
were  welcomed  to  a  share  of  the  precious  harvest.  Our 
Federal  authorities  would  have  scorned  to  shut  on';  or  to 
harass  by  the  levying  of  royalties  the  Argonauts  of  *  J9,  no 
matter  from  what  foreign  land  they  hailed.  The  Dom  inion 
Government  may  do  wisely  to  profit  by  our  examph;." 

Xklany  other  papc  .s  have  expressed  strong  opinions 
upon  the  action  of  the  Dominion  Government  in  nrgard 
to  the  attempted  spoliation  of  tu  industrions  Aiserican 
miner ;  but  the  New  York  Journal  indulges  in  language 
which,  although  perhaps  subject  to  rebuke  in  some 
quarters,  will,  in  my  opinion,  meet  with  unqualified 
approval  on  the  part  of  the  average  American  citizen. 


•I 


011 

«i 


i  I 
•I 


K" 


01  TMt    BO»\ptT^ 


40         Tim  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 

I  cannot  do  better  than  place  the  article  in  question 
upon  permanent  record.  *'  We  doubt  if  the  men  at  the 
head  of  affairs  in  Canada  will  be  so  short  sighted  as  to 
decre?  that  no  citizen  of  the  United  States  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  dig  for  gold  in  the 
Dominion.  Such  a  decree,  how- 
ever  well  warranted  on  grounds 
of  retaliation,  would  prove  ex- 
tremely irritating  "^  Mxs  coun- 
try, and  it  is  pr .;  •  to  Can- 
ada's interest,  Oo  .>h»;.  regards  it, 
not  to  jar :  he  temper  of  the  over- 
shadowing Republic.  Let  the 
decree  issue,  and  every  Ameri 
can  who  is  not  a  Mugwump 
would  be  moved  to  say  to  his  neighbor :  '  We  can't  dig 
for  gold  in  Klondyke,  it  appears,  because  KUmdyke  is 
in  Canada.  All  right,  let's  transfer  Klondyke  to  the 
United  State  '  Of  course  this  transfer  might  not  be 
made  at  once,  but  beyond  question  the  public  mind 
would  be  aroused  to  the  inconvenience  and  absurdity  of 
allowing  a  ICuropcan  monarchy  to  divide  this  continent 
with  us,  and  interfere  with  the  freedom  and  busircss 
activity  of  Americans  on  the  American  side  of  the  vi-rki. 
The  reasonableness,  as  well  as  the  material  adv  a: -i;* 
of  annexing  Canada  would  be  impressed  upon  g,  'i 
multitudes  who  have  never  as  yet  given  the  subject  . 
thought.  And  it  is  as  manifest  as  destiny  that  wl:  -n 
the  United  States  really  wants  Canada,  Canada  will 
belong  to  the  United  States. 

"  Unless,  therefore,  the  Canadians  desire  to  speed 
the  coming  of  the  day  when  they  will  be  invited  to  come 
into  the  Union — with  Ml  the  property  of  which  they  arc 
possessed,  including  gold  fields — with  the  alten  Uive  of 
cutting  loose  from  dear  old  England  and  set'J. if  w  a 
republic  of  their  own,  like  growi  av  1  and  Ame  ;•  ., 
they  will  not  command  citizens  o.  lac  United  Stilus  to 
keep  off  the  Klondyke  grass," 

There  is  no  kind  >f  a  iokc  involved  in  this  contro- 
versy.   On  the  contrary  the  mo  t   serious  departures 


% 


CANADA'S  RIGHTS.  41 

may  be  on  the  threshold  of  coming  events.  I  am  not 
one  of  those  who  believe  that  a  state  of  war  can  ever 
exist  between  Engl.ind  and  the  United  States.  The  bare 
suggestion  is  revolting  and  opposed  to  common  sense. 
Yet  it  is  too  frequently  the  unexpected  .vbich  occurs, 
and  when  the  possession  of  gold  is  the  object  to  be 
attained,  men  lose  their  wits  and  perpetrate  acts  of  folly 
whicn,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  they  would  be  re- 
strained from  committing. 

This  chapter  cannot  well  be  closed  without  a  refer- 
ence to  the  duties  payable  under  the  Canadian  tarifif 
upon  goods  carried  into  the  Klondyke  region  from 
United  States  territory.  A  complete  tariff  schedule 
would  scarcely  interest  the  reader,  but  would  occupy 
considerable  space.  The  following  list  of  duties  is, 
therefore,  given  as  information  likely  to  be  of  practical 
use  for  ready  reference : 

Ale,  Beer,  etc. 16c.  per  gul. 

Ammals 20<i  ad  t. 

Builders*  Hardware.  .324fg    " 

Butter 4c.  per  lb. 

Beans 15c  per  bash. 

Buckwheat 10c.       " 

Boots  and  Shoes. \i5^  ad  y. 

CloUiing,  ready>made, 

6c.  per  lb.  and  30<^    ** 

Candles 35^^    " 

Coffee,  ground  or  roasted, 

2c.  per  lb. 

Coffee,  green .10<^  ad  v. 

Chees4' 3c  per  lb. 

Condensevl  MUk 3c 

Eggs 6c  per  Joz. 

Extracts  of  Meat 25$  ad  v. 

Floor 75c  per  bbl. 

Jellies,  Jams,  etc 3c  per  lb. 

Lard 2c      " 

Meats,  in  barrel 2*:.      " 

Meats, canned 25<t  adv. 


Kails  and  Spikes 30;^  ad  T. 

Futatocs 16c  psr  bush. 

Picks  and  Tools  of 
all  kinds 35$  adv. 

Quicksilver Free 

Kubber  Boots  and 
Shoes 30$  .ad  T. 

Salt,  in  bags TiclOOlbs. 

Shovels  and  Spades. .  .25$  ad  v. 

Sugar 64-100  of  Ic  per  lb. 

Spirits {2.12ipergaL 

Soap,  common Ic  per  lb. 

Tomatoes  and  other 
vegetables,  includ- 
ing Com  and  Baked 
Beans,  in  cans lie  per  lb. 

Tarred  Paper 25$  ad  T. 

Tobacco,  mannract'd, 

35c  per  lb.  and  12^$  ad  v. 

Tea 10$     •• 

Wire  Nails Ic  per  lb. 

Wines 26cperg»L 


CANADIAN   MINING   LAWS — IN    BRISP. 

Bar-diggings.  A  strip  of  land  100  feet  wide  at 
high  water-mark,  and  thence  extending  along  the  river 
to  its  lowest  water  level.    The  sides  of  a  claim  for 


i  I 

i 

•I 


42 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


bar.diggiugs  shall  be  two  parallel  lines  run  <>h  nearly  as 
possible  at  right  angles  to  the  stream,  and  shall  be 
marked  by  four  legal  posts,  one  at  each  end  of  the  claim, 
at  or  about  high  water-mark  ;  also  one  at  each  end  of  the 
claim,  at  or  about  the  edge  of  the  water.  One  of  the 
posts  shall  be  legibly  marked  with  the  name  of  the  miner, 
and  the  date  upon  which  the  claim  is  staked. 

i>.?pk  and  river  claims  shall  ]>e  500  feet  long,  meas- 
ureu  c  direction  of  the  mineral  course  of  the  stream, 

and  si;  extend  in  width  from  base  to  base  of  the  hill 
or  bench  on  each  side,  liit  when  the  hills  or  benches  are 
less  than  100  feet  apart  the  claim  may  be  100  feet  in 
depth. 

In  defining  the  si/.e  of  claims  they  shall  be  meas- 
ured hori/ontally,  irrespective  of  inequalities  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground. 

A  claim  shall  be  recorded  with  the  gold  commis- 
sioner in  whose  district  it  is  situated  within  three  days 
after  the  location  thereof. 

No  miner  shall  receive  a  grant  for  nioie  than  one 
mining  claim  in  the  same  locality,  but  the  same  miner 
may  hold  any  number  of  claims  by  purchase. 

Any  miner  may  sell,  mortgage  or  dispose  of  his 
claim  provided  such  disposal  be  registered  with,  and  a 
fee  of  $5  paid  to,  the  gold  commissioner. 

A  claim  shall  )>e  deemed  to  be  abandoned  and  open 
to  occupation  and  entry  by  any  person  when  the  same 
shall  have  remaint-d  unworked  on  working  days  by  the 
grantee  thereof,  or  by  some  person  in  his  behalf,  for  the 
spac  of  seventy-two  hours,  unless  sickness  or  other 
reasonable  cause  may  be  shown  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
commi.ssioner. 


"Gold  is  typical  of  the  Sun — the  golden  sansfaine 
which  lightens  the  universe — the  center  of  creation — the 
golden  orb  which  proclaims  its  eternal  magnificence.' 

— Paui.  Pryer. 


43 


p 


How  to 
Get  There, 
What  to  Carry, 
What  to  Do. 


GIVEN  the  possession  of  the  necessary 
funds  it  is  by  no  means  difHcult  to 
solve  the  problem  of  **  How  to  get 
there."  There  is  practically  no 
spot  on  the  habitable  globe  which 
cannot  be  reached  with  speed  and 
comfort  if  one  is  able  to  lay  down 
the  price  of  the  journey.  The 
North  Pole  may  be  excepted  ;  but, 
then,  the  Pole  is  nol  included  in 
"habitable  territorj'."*  Perhaps  the  most  uncomforta- 
ble journey  that  could  be  made,  as  compared  with  any 
other  in  the  world,  is,  under  existing  conditions,  the 
one  to  Klondyke.  Were  I  upon  the  point  of  starting  for 
that  region  I  should  select  the  route  via  Juneau.  This 
is  termed  the  overland  route  and  I  am  aware  that  it  is 
not  recommended  by  experts  as  the  one  most  preferable. 
But,  accepting  all  the  chances,  I  repeat  that  I  should 
personally  select  it.  The  distance  from  San  Francisco 
by  steamer  to  Juneau  is  about  i  ,6So  miles  and  can  be 
traversed  in  comfort.  Then  the  journey  from  Juneau 
to  Dyea,  loo  miles,  is  made  by  water,  after  which  the 
troubles  commence.  I  cannot  do  better  than  give  the 
expenencc  of  E.  A.  Mizner.  an  agent  of  the  Altiska 
Commercial  G>mpany,  regarding  a  part  of  the  journey. 
He  knows  how  to  write  and  his  words  are  :  "  The  sec- 
ond day  we  went  up  Dyea  canon.  It  is  only  three  miles 
long,  but  seems  fully  thirty.  One  hundred  pounds  is 
about  all  a  man  wants  to  pull  in  this  canon,  as  the  way 
is  steep  and  the  ice  slippery.  So  camps  must  be  made 
short  distances  apart,  as  you  have  to  go  over  the  trail 
several  times  in  bringing  up  your  outfit.  Remember  an 
ordinary  outfit  weighs  from  500  to  800  pounds,  and 
9om«  mncb  more.    But  the  summit  of  the  ChUcoot  ?ftss 


CI 


IhI 
*l 


44 


THE  KLONYDKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


— that's  the  place  that  puts  the  yellow  fear  into  many  a 
man's  heart.  Some  took  one  look  at  it,  sold  their  out* 
fits  for  what  they  would  bring,  and  turned  back.  This 
pass  is  over  the  ridge  that  skirts  the  coast.  It  is  only 
about  1,200  feet  from  base  to  top,  but  it  is  almost  straight 
up  and  down — a  sheer  steep  of  snow  and  ice.  There  is 
a  bliz7.ard  blowing  there  most  of  the  time,  and  when  it  is 
at  its  height  no  man  may  cross.  For  days  at  a  time  the 
summit  is  impassable.  An  enterprising  man  named 
Burns  rigged  a  windlass  and  cable  there,  and  with  this 
he  hoists  up  some  freight  at  a  cent  a  pound.  The  rest 
is  carried  over  on  the  backs  of  Indians.  We  were  de- 
tained ten  days  waiting  our  turn  to  have  our  outfits  car- 
ried over  and  for  favoring  weather.  After  going  about 
three  miles  up  a  dark  canon  a  whirling  snow  storm 
struck  us.  But  having  risen  at  such  an  unconscionable 
hour  we  would  not  turn  back.  Our  pride  was  near  being 
the  end  of  us.  I  hope  I  may  never  experience  such  an- 
other day.  The  air  was  so  filled  with  snow  that  at  times 
it  was  impossible  to  see  ten  feet.  My  beard  became  a 
mass  ot  ice.  The  trail  was  soon  obliterated  and  we  were 
lost.  But  we  stumbled  on  and  by  a  rare  chance  we  came 
upon  the  handle  of  a  shovel  which  marked  our  cache. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  fight  our  way  back  to  camp. 
The  storm  raged  for  four  long  days.  After  another  daj' 
of  rest  we  put  masts  on  our  sleds,  rigged  sails  and  came 
across  Lake  Linderraan  and  over  Lindermar^  Portage.  '* 
The  remainder  of  the  journey  may  be  thus  described : 
After  leaving  Linderman  there  is  an  overland  tramp  of 
twenty-eight  miles  to  Lake  Bennett.  Again  you  pro- 
ceed on  foot  several  miles,  until  the  caribou  crossing  of 
the  river  furnishes  transportation  to  Tagish  Lake,  where 
another  ride  of  twenty-one  miles  by  boat  may  be  had. 
After  this  there  is  a  weary  stretch  of  mountainous  coun- 
try which  brings  you  to  Mud  Lake.  Then  follows 
another  boat  ride  of  twenty-four  miles,  and  subsequently 
down  the  creek  for  twenty-seven  miles  to  Miles  Canon 
and  White  Horse  Rapids.  The  stream  here  is  full  of 
sunken  rocks  and  runs  with  the  speed  of  a  mill  race,  and 
is  full  of  danger.  The  n^j.xt  stage  after  passing  the  I^brs^ 


W/ZAT  TO  CARRY, 


45 


THt  <ICU6 

nouKTms 


Rapids  is  down  the  river  for  thirty  miles  to  Lake  La- 
barge  where  thirt}-  one  more  miles  of  navigable  water  is 
found.  After  a  short  distance  of  portage  Lewis  River  is 
reached  and  a  200-mile  journey  cncountfred.  brintring 
you  to  Fort  Selkirk.  Here  the 
Pelly  and  Lewis  rivers  combine, 
forming  the  Yukon,  and  from 
that  point  on  it  is  comparatively 
smooth  sailing.  It  is  perhaps 
needless  to  observe  that  the 
journey  throughout  is  extremely 
dangerous  if  undertaken  too 
early  in  the  spring  or  too  late  in  CQt{  U 
the  fall.  My  judgment  in  pre- v^^'-/^  , 
ferring  the  overland  route  is,  to  .,*^^ 
some  extent,  justified  in  the  fact  that  the  post  office  au- 
thorities will  run  a  monthly  service,  for  lett'-r  mail  only, 
via  the  Chtlcoot  Pass. 

The  ocean  route  is  via  St.  Michaels,  which  can  be 
reached  by  steamer  from  San  Francisco,  Seattle,  Port- 
land and  other  points.  After  leaving  St.  Michaels  the 
journey  up  the  Yukon  River  is  one  of  considerable  mon- 
otony, and,  in  passing  through  the  rapids,  is  attended 
by  danger;  but  a  vast  number  of  people,  both  going  end 
returning,  are  traveling  that  way.  It  should  be  observed 
that  the  ocean  route  is  found  to  be  the  most  expensive 
as  it  is  infinitely  longer,  and  it  would  serve  no  good  pur- 
pose to  furnish  any  detailed  description  regarding  it  in 
these  pages.  I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention  a  third 
route,  which  was  suggested  to  me  by  a  humorist,  who 
referred  to  it  as  not  only  safe  and  in  every  way  prefera- 
ble, and  he  described  it  as  the  stay-at-home  route. 

What  to  Carry.  In  discussing  this  question, 
which  is  certainly  an  all-important  one,  the  first  word  of 
advice  would  be— -take  as  little  as  possible.  So  much 
depends  on  one's  personal  wants  or  ideas.  One  man  will 
cross  the  Atlantic  with  a  satchel,  a  tooth  brush  and  a 
change  of  linen.  Another  thinks  himself  poorly  furn- 
ished with  six  trunks  and  a  valet.  The  thing  to  be  re- 
m^mb^redp  however,  is  tlia^  aU  supplies  at  Pawson  Qity 


!l 


46 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


are  dear  beyond  comparison.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
difliculty  and  risk  of  conveying  large  quantities  of  goods 
have  to  be  considered,  and,  while  it  is  extremely  per- 
plexing to  draw  any  hard  and  fast  line,  the  better  plan 
would  be  to  provide  necessaries  and  in  such  quantities  as 
individual  judgment  may  prompt.  In  preparing  a  final 
list  the  ambitious  explorer  would  naturally  purchase, 
before  starting,  such  goods  as  are  the  cheapest  in  com- 
parison with  the  prices  demanded  at  Dawson  City.  The 
most  accurate  schedule  of  the  latter  is  the  following,  but 
they  may,  and  probably  will,  advance  next  season  : 


Flour,  per  100  lbs <12.00 

Moopc  II:ims.  \Yix  ib. . . . .       1.00 

Caribou  Meat,  per  lb ♦'.•'i 

Heans.  per  lb .10 

Ilicc,  perlb 25 

Sugar,  per  lb 25 

Bacon,  per  lb 40 

Butter,  per  roll 1  50 

Kjru?,  per  doz 1 .50 

Better  Eir^s,  |>er  doz 2.00 

Salmon,  each $1  to      1.50 

Potatoes,  per  lb 25 

Turnips,  per  I b 15 

Tea.  per  lb ..      1.00 

Coffee,  per  lb 50 


Dried  Fruits,  per  pot. ...        .35 

Canned  Fruit* 60 

(/anned  Meats 75 

Lemons,  each 20 

Oranges,  each 50 

Tobacco,  per  lb 1.50 

Liquor.^,  per  drink 50 

Shovels 2.50 

Picks 5.00 

Coal  Oil,  per  gal 1.00 

Overalls 1.50 

Underwear,  per  suit,  $5  to  7.50 

Shoes 6.00 

Rubber  Ikwts |10  to  15.00 


Miners  should  carr>'  with  them,  a  tent,  a  rubber 
blanket,  mosquito  netting,  a  frying  pan,  a  kettle,  a  bean 
pot,  a  Yukon  stove,  a  teapot,  knife,  fork  and  spoon,  a 
drinking  cup,  two  plates,  one  large  and  one  small  cook- 
ing pan.  Also,  a  jack  plane,  a  hand  saw,  a  rip  saw,  a 
whipsaw,  an  axe,  a  hatchet,  a  draw-knife,  six  pounds 
assorted  nails,  three  pounds  oakum,  fifty  feet  fa  rope, 
three  pounds  of  pitch,  and  a  pick  and  shovel. 

Supplies  for  a  month  are  about  as  follows  :  20  lbs. 
flour,  baking  powder,  12  lbs.  bacot^,  6  lbs.  beans,  5  lbs. 
canned  vegetables,  5  lbs.  dried  fruit,  4  lbs.  butter,  5  lbs. 
sugar,  4  cans  milk,  i  lb.  tea,  3  lbs  coffee,  2  lbs.  salt,  5 
lbs.  com  meal,  mustard  and  pepper.  Don't  forget 
matches. 

Clothing  should  include,  water  boots  of  seal  or  wal- 
rus skin,  Siberian  fawn  skin  trousers,  a  parka — costs 


WZ/AT  TO  DO. 


47 


from  $25  to  $100,  is  almost  cold  proof  and  is  made  from 
Siberian  fawn  slcin.  trimmed  with  wolverine — good  warm 
flannels  and  rubber  boots.  Fur  robes  and  blankets  are 
used  for  bedding. 

No  man  should  start  for  the  gold  fields  with  less 
than  $600,  but  it  would  be  much  safer  to  have  $1,000. 
The  great  thing  to  be  feared  during  the  coming  winter 
is  famine  and  famine  prices.  The  amount  of  food  re> 
quired  by  hearty  men  is  bej'ond  belief.  Last  winter  men 
safTered  intensely  because  they  could  not  secure  a  variety 
of  food,  which  their  systems  craved. 

What  to  do  ?    These  words  recall  to  my  mind  the 
refrain  of  an    exquisite    poem 
which,  in   a    happy  metre,  re-  ac*»»*    ..;fTr!fy7JJJ?:7s-:>^ » 
peats  the  words   "  If  we  only  ';:i";V%/ 


=  '^. 


knew,  if  we  only  knew.*'  Alas  ! 
That  is  the  trouble  in  this  life. 
If  we  only  knew  precisely 
what  to  attempt,  and  the  best 
and  readiest  means  of  procuring 
its  accomplishment,  we  should 
be  able  to  avoid  so  many  of 
those  grave  errors  which  turn 

men  out  of  the  right  path  and  lead  them  to  disap- 
pointments, failures  and  disasters.  Every  faUe 
step  means  two  or  more  steps  backward.  But  to  be 
practical :  the  man  who  posses^^es  the  hardiest  constitu- 
tion, the  readiest  wit,  the  most  indomitable  perseverance, 
the  greatest  degree  of  patience,  and  who  is  endowed 
with  the  most  liberal  measure  of  hopefulness,  should  be 
the  one  to  succeed  the  best.  Against  this  reasoning 
our  old  friend  **Luck"  steps  forward  and  exclaims  **No  ! 
You  cannot  force  circumstances,  and  they  will  invariably 
prevail  against  you  when  they  are  adverse.  I  am  the 
goddess  of  fortune,  and  circumstances,  as  applied  to 
mankind,  are  my  foot-ball.  I  can  lift  the  tenderfoot 
into  the  realm  of  prosperity,  and  it  is  equally  in  my 
power  to  paralyse  the  efforts  of  the  most  deserving  and 
indostrioos.  Hence,  I  make  men  my  playthings,  and 
giye  sometimes  to  the  tinworthy  that  which  I  take  from 


'1 

1*4 


48 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


tVose  who  appear  to  have  the  strongest  claims  on  my 
generosity.  I  am  a  woman,  and  it  is  my  whim."  The 
reader  will  perceive  that  such  logic  is  unanswerable  and 
so  it  will  always  happen,  even  at  the  gold  fields,  that 
some  will  prosper  exceedingly  with  but  meagre  effort, 
while  others  will  fight  hard  for  little  or  no  reward. 

Seeing  that  so  many,  if  not  all,  of  tho  claims  around 
the  Klondyke  are  striked  out,  there  is  nothing  left  for 
the  new-comer  but  to  prospect.  That  is  work  to  make 
a  man  eat  his  heart  out  when  nothing  be  found  to 
reward  the  effort.  Bui  there  are  many  creeks  and  rivers 
in  the  immense  region  of  which  Dawson  City  is  the 
centre,  and  the  gold  ijeeker  who  cannot  find  anything 
from  $10,000  to  $250,000,  wherewith  to  purchase  a  share 
in  a  claim,  must  travel  further  afield,  unless  he  can  sell 
his  siervices  as  a  laborer  to  some  established  miner. 
Speaking  generally,  the  thing  to  do  is  to  avoid  idleness  ; 
to  eschew  drink,  gambling,  and  dissipation  ;  to  be  civil 
and  kind  to  cver>'one — /.  r  ,  to  make  as  many  friends  as 
possible,  and  to  make  the  best  use  of  every  opportunity 
that  may  arise,  of  which  there  will  be  many.  But  let  us 
turn  for  one  moment,  to  the  experience  of  George 
Cormac,  who  is  credited  with  being  the  discoverer  of  the 
Klondyke  l)onanza.  George  Cormac  had  lived  for 
twenty  years  under  the  Arctic  Circle,  and,  in  all  that 
time,  had  mnde  little  money.  He  went  up  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Klondyke  and  Yukon  rivers  to  fish  for 
salnicju  lie  arrived  at  the  place  in  June,  1896.  The 
salmon  did  not  run.  and  he  had  recourse  to  prospecting 
in  the  creeks  iliat  empty  into  the  Klondyke  a  few  miles 
above  its  mouth.  He  had  heard  that  the  territory  had 
been  prospected  l)y  experts,  who  had  decided  that  there 
'las  no  ^old  in  p-^ying  4]uantitics  north  of  the  Yukon^  and 
especially  in  the  British  possessions.  Assisted  by  two 
Indians,  he  continued  to  prospect  in  the  Yukon  fashion. 
He  cut  v.ood  and  set  fires  every  night  to  thaw  out  the 
frozen  gravel,  and  by  day,  dug  out  the  earth  thus 
loosened.  In  about  ten  days,  bed-rock  was  reached  at  a 
depth  of  fifteen  feet,  when,  to  Cormac's  amazement,  he 
was  able  to  pan  out  from  $50  to  $100  in  coarse  gold  from 


WHAT  TO  DO. 


49 


each  pan.  Provisions  being  nearly  exhausted,  he  sent 
an  Indian  to  Fortj'  Mile  Post,  a  distance  of  fifty-twA 
miles,  for  supplies,  and,  at  the  same  time,  he  sent 
messages  to  several  friends  who  speedily  arrived  on  the 
ground  and  staked  out  claims.  Nearly  three  months 
elapsed  before  the  arrival  of  an  adequate  supply 
of  provisions,  and  tools  to  work  the  claims  effectually. 
Several  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  gold  dust  were 
then  taken  out,  and  it  was  the  return  of  two  of  the  party 
to  Forty  Mile  Post,  late  in  the  fall  of  1896,  which  led  to 
the  rush  to  this  little  camp. 

As  in  other  matters,  there  will  always  be  conflicting 
stories  regarding  the  earlier  pioneers  of  gold  discoveries, 
but  exhaustive  inquiry  convinces  me  that  the  account, 
as  here  rendered,  is  truthful.  In  winding  up  this 
chapter,  I  would  say  to  the  reader,  "go  thou  and  do 
likewise," — if  you  be  bent  on  visiting  the  Klondyke — 
and  may  you  live  long  and  prosper. 

"You  must  wake  and  call  nic  early. 

Call  me  cnrly,  mother  d«ar; 
At  a  quarter  after  nine  the  ship 

I'i  advertised  to  clear. 

Eleven  days  I've  stofnl  it  off 

And  tried  to  keep  it  down; 
But  I'll  bo  goshcd  if  1  remain — 

The  only  man  in  town. 

My  temperature  is '-ng  up. 

The  fever's  in  r.      v.  ins, 
Tlie  gold  cure  is  the  tuing  I  need; 

I'll  take  it  in  large  grains. 

Quite  long  enou;;h  I've  walked  the  hill 

To  save  the  cable  fare; 
Too  long  the  grindstone's  done  its  worst; 

My  nose  won't  stand  the  wear. 
Tlic  frozen  North  is  getting  warm 

With  nuggets  thick  as  dies, 
A  man  now  has  a  chance  to  win 

A  fortune  ere  he  dies. 

I've  pan  and  shovel,  lots  of  grub. 

Warm  clothing,  rubber  boots, 
80  wake  and  call  me  early 

When  the  Klondyke  steamer  toots." 

—From  the  Seattle  Pott-IhteUxgtnur. 


'.  >! 


,  « 


.^^f:^" ^^^ 


-s  -'    ^ 


*   000  TCAM   ON   THK  CHILCOOT  Ph%%. 


\ 

\ 

\ 

t. 

1 

\ 

1 

I 

r 

« 

» 

I 

5' 


Enterprises. 


THE  discovery  of  gold  in  California  in 
1848  was  the  commencement  of  a 
new  and  wonderful  era  in  its  his- 
tory. During  several  centuries  the 
conquerors  of  Mexico  were  con- 
vinced that  the  we  tern  coast  of  America  must  be  rich  in 
gold,  and  mining  expeditions  were  organized  in  order  to 
test  their  theory.  But  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  the 
precious  yellow  metal  remained  hidden  from  the  eye  of 
man  for  three  hundred  years  longer.  For  a  long  period, 
prior  to  the  day  on  which  James  Marshall  picked  the 
shining  particles  from  the  millrace  at  Coloma,  the  idea 
of  finding  gold  in  any  part  of  that  country  had  been  so 
entirely  abandoned  that  it  was  stated  in  the  "  Penny 
Encyclopedia,  *' published  in  1836,  that  "In  mineral^, 
upper  California  is  not  rich."  It  was  a  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance for  the  United  States  that  such  a  conclusion 
prevailed,  for  had  the  hidden  wealth  of  California  been 
made  known  to  the  world  a  few  years  earlier,  Mexico 
would  never  have  sold,  for  the  paltry  sum  of  Si 5,000,- 
000,  the  immense  territory  of  which  California  is  but  a 
minor  part,  and  it  is  not  improbable  we  might  never  have 
been  able  to  purchase  it  upon  any  terms. 

It  was  through  the  merest  accident  that  the  discov- 
ery of  gold,  an  event  of  infinite  importance  to  California, 
to  the  United  States,  and  to  the  whole  world,  actually 
resulted.  General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  in  his  "  Personad 
Recollections,"  gives  a  graphic  account  of  the  incident, 
from  which  I  quote  as  follows  :  "In  1847,  among  the 
most  prominent  Americans  in  California  was  General 
John  A.  Sutter,  who  had  acquired  many  acres  of  land 
there.  In  the  summer  of  that  year,  he  began  to  perceive 
the  necessity  for  a  sawmill,  and  as  there  was  no  timber 
in  the  valley  he  was  obliged  to  have  the  mill  erected  in 


r  M 


ll 


I  i  * 
1 


^  PLAct\M\nt 


52       7w:e  klondyke  gold  fielps. 

the  mountains.  To  build  it  he  engaged  James  W.  Mar- 
shall, who  was  to  supply  the  skill  and  choose  the  site, 
while  Sutter  furnished  the  money,  workmen  and  teams. 
Mr.  Marshall  selected  a  site  at  the  spot  afterwards  known 

as  Coloma,  and  for  four  months 
he  and  his  workmen  remained 
in  the  roidst  of  a  primeval  wild- 
erness engaged  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  mill.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  the  structure  was 
nearly  completed,  the  dam  had 
been  made,  the  race  had  been 
dug,  the  gates  had  been  put  in 
place,  the  water  had  been 
turned  into  the  race  to  carrj' 
away  the  loose  dirt  and  gravel,  and  then  turned  off 
again,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  January,  1848, 
Marshall,  while  taking  his  usual  walk  along  the  race 
after  shutting  off  the  water,  was  attracted  by  a  small 
shining  object  about  half  the  size  ol  a  pea.  He  hastily 
picked  it  up.  and  the  results  of  his  un<l  are  known  to  all 
the  world.  Marshall  himself  rec^/ved  very  Utile  benefit 
from  his  discovery.  Had  notoriety  been  enough  to  sat- 
isfy him  he  might  have  been  well  content,  for  his  name 
became  widely  celebrated,  bat,  as  he  once  naively  re- 
marked, that  was  "  neither  victuals  nor  clothes  to  any 
one."  Owing  to  this  neglect  he  gradually  became  em- 
bittered against  all  mankind,  and  after  spending  the  last 
years  of  his  life  in  poverty  and  privation,  he  died  in 
1885,  at  the  age  of  73.  and  was  buried  at  a  spot  within 
sight  of  the  phice  where  he  made  his  famous  discovery. 
His  figure  in  colossal  bronze  has  since  been  erected  over 
his  grave  and  stands  like  a  sentinel  guarding  the  spot 
where  the  great  event  of  his  life  occurred.  It  was  an 
event  which  affected  very  many  lives  for  weal  or  woe, 
which  turned  the  tide  of  emigration  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  to  California,  which  caused  the  development  of  the 
neighboring  States,  and  which  finally  made  necessary 
the  building  of  ihe  great  trans-continental  railroads. 
•'The  impetts  thus  given  to  emigration,  y-'hich  wj\s 


ENTERPRISES. 


53 


felt  all  over  the  globe,  increased  the  scanty  population 
of  California  to  such  an  extent  that,  by  the  end  of  1S49, 
there  were  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  people  within 
her  borders.  Naturally,  this  was  not  a  healthy  growth, 
for  there  was  much  reckless  speculation  and  extravagant 
living,  which  had  its  demoralizing  influence  upon  the 
inhabitants.  Life  in  California  at  that  time  was  a  kind 
of  pandemonium.  Thousands  of  men  were  constantly 
leaving  and  arriving ;  money  was  plentiful  and  freely 
spent ;  miners  who  had  made  their  fortunes  in  a  few 
days  squandered  them  in  a  single  night  at  the  gaming 
table.  There  were  but  few  women  in  the  entire 
territory,  and  all  good  influences  were  chiefly  conspicu- 
ous by  their  absence.  The  whole  population  of  the 
towns  and  mining  camps  consisted  of  unkempt  men  clad 
in  flannel  shirts,  patched  clothing  and  heavy  boots,  and 
the  hearts  of  all  were  animated  by  one  great  impulse — 
the  thirst  for  gold.  There  was,  however,  a  strong  touch 
of  sentiment  in  their  rough  lives  ;  as  for  instance,  when 
an  intense  excitement  was  one  day  created  in  a  small 
town  by  a  rumor  that  an  invoice  of  women's  bonnets 
had  arrived — there  was  a  rush  from  every  direction  to 
get  a  view  of  them.  The  sight  of  anything  so  intensely 
feminine  as  a  bonnet  touched  the  hearts  of  those  rough 
men,  and  awakened  in  their  breasts  thoughts  and 
feelings  that  had  long  lain  donnant." 

I  have  devoted  space,  which  can  be  spared  with 
difficulty,  to  this  Fhort  history  of  California  with  the 
objec^.,  not  only  oi  showing  how  the  great  gold  dis- 
coveries of  the  '  .^r  north  may  bring  about  social  and 
physical  changes,  but  of  demonstrating  the  probabilities 
that  exi&  t  of  the  development  of  those  combined  efforts 
of  mankind  referred  to  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  as 
"Enterprises*' 

"Thus  far  into  the  bowels  or  the  land 
HaTO  we  march *d  on  vithont  impedimcnL** 

Shak».:  Jiiehnrd  III. 

Enterprise  in  every  conceivable  form  follows  in  the 
foQt^t^ps  of  s^ccessfal  gold  mining  just  as  ws^ter  fo^^i 


I      ! 


54 


THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


its  way  into  a  newly  constructed  channel.  The  diflfi- 
culties  to  be  surmounted  in  connection  with  the 
development  of  the  northern  portion  of  Alaska  are 
stupendous,  the  chief  obstacles  being  the  climate  and 

the  wild  character  of  the  coun- 
try'. But  even  at  this  early 
date  thousands  of  active  minds 


"^T^y^TPT/.. 


'^m 


mwy^m 


i9    M«wt» 


structing  roads,  erecting  dwell- 
ings and  for  conveying  into  the 
inhospitable  territor>'  the  nec- 
essaries and,  to  some  extent, 
the  comforts  of  life.  To  fur- 
nish a  detailed  description  of  all  the  schemes  pro- 
jected is  impossible.  The  Government  is  already 
alive  to  the  necessity  of  providing  better  postal  facilities 
and  will  shortly  be  on  hand  with  troops  fc»*  the 
protection  of  the  far  distant  adventurers.  There  is 
substantial  talk  of  laying  a  telegraph  cable  from  Dawson 
City  to  Juneau,  not  suspended  on  poles  but  roughly 
carried  over  the  ground,  and  this  enterprise,  if 
completely  developed,  in  spite  of  the  really  serious 
obstacles  which  would  have  to  be  surmounted,  will  be  of 
untold  value  to  a  remote  community  and  also  to  those 
who  desire  to  direct  operations  from  eastern  and  other 
centres.  Another  proposal  is  to  supply  specially 
constructed  bicycles  ^vhich  can  carry  heavy  loads  of 
freight,  and  I  hear  that  a  company  has  been  organized 
for  the  manufacture  of  this  newly  "patented"  inno- 
vation, but  I  regard  the  idea  as  chimerical  and  do  not 
covet  possession  of  stock  in  such  a  concern. 

Sufficient  has  been  stated  in  preceding  pages  to  lead 
to  the  conclusion  that  even  if  gold  mining,  taken  as  a 
whole,  be  not  profitable  to  the  majority  of  its  adherents, 
it  does,  at  any  rate,  open  the  door  to  vast  commercial 
transactions.  With  a  glass  of  beer  selling  at  Dawson 
City  for  fifty  cents  and  board  and  lodging  unobtainable 
at  less  than  $io  daily ;  with  saloon-keepers  turning 


ENTERPRISES, 


55 


over  as  much  as  $20,000  within  a  few  weeks,  and 
successful  miners  spending,  in  some  instances,  as  much 
as  $500  in  a  single  day,  there  can  be  no  question  that 
iracU^  pure  and  simple,  in  the  Klondyke  region,  is  on 
the  boom.  The  mouth  of  the  practical  merchant  must, 
indeed,  literally  run  with  water  when  visions  of  such 
profitable  trading  operations  as  may  be  carried  on 
around  the  Klondyke  are  unfolded.  Trade  in  tbat  new, 
undeveloped  country  is  likely  to  increase  to  an  extent 
that  the  ordinary  mind  can  scarcely  realize.  With  the 
advent  of  a  possible  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  persons 
at  the  Klondyke^  up  to  the  month  of  June,  next  (very 
few  of  whom  will,  notwithstanding  all  warnings,  carry 
with  them  any  adequate  amount  of  supplies),  and  with 
a  probable  increase  in  population  to,  say,  forty  thousand 
during  the  following  year,  an  amount  of  money  will  be 
turned  over— ^at  c  high  prices  which  obtain  and  which 
must  continue  to  rule — from  which  fabulous  profits  will 
be  derived  by  those  who  devote  their  exclusive  attention 
to  plain  buying  and  selling.  The  merchant,  in  the  long 
run,  is  invariably  more  succe  sful  tha  the  adventurer ; 
just  as  is  the  quiet  patient  investor  more  prosperous  than 
the  mere  speculator.  Except- 
tions  prove  the  rule.  Better 
facilities  for  transportation  of 
goods  to  the  gold  region  will,  in 
time,  be  provided,  involving 
again,  another  form  of  enter- 
prise, and,  in  this  category, 
may  be  mentioned  the  projec- 
tion of  a  light  railway  which, 
although  regarded  in  some 
quarters  as  a  Utopian  idea,  will 

I  believe  be  constructed,  and  which  will  infinitely 
lessen  the  difficulties  now  existing  in  regard  to  the 
conveyance  oi  freight  and  passengers  after  the  journey 
up  the  Yukon  River  has  been  continued  to  the 
furthest  limit. 

Again,  in  the  light  of  special  enterprise,  one  has 
pleasure  in  referring  to  the  expedition  recently  fitted  out 


i\\\\\\\V\0\AVVVV;'  \  \   v^  -v^V^^        ^.•/-. 

*'.''.-   •t\\'  ''    /w    \     V'     ..^^^^^^— ^     Sc"^"^ 


1  .^>^^ 


/' 


"V 


\v 


ENTERPRISES. 


57 


b}'  the  Nan  York  Journal  which,  to  use  its  own  well- 
chosen  words,  is  **  to  investigate  the  riches  of  the  Yukon 
gold  fields  and  to  tell  the  tale  of  Nature  and  human  nat- 
ure in  the  new  Ophir  of  the  far  North."  Th^  Journal 
staff  consists  of  happily  selected  men,  and  a  woman, 
whose  names  are  well  worth  recording.  Edward  H. 
Hamilton  .Charles  Gregory  Yale.  Joaquin  Miller*  the  poet. 
Edward  J.  Livemash  and  Mrs.  Norman  Brough,  known 
to  the  world  as  *'  Helen  Dare,"  constitute  the  little  band 
of  explorers  who  are  braving  the  terrors  of  the  northern 
winter,  and  who  will  next  summer  confront  the  attacks 
of  the  terrible  mosquito,  not  in  searchoffil*hy  lucre,  but 
oiticu's.  All  who  appreciate  journalistic  enterprise  can- 
not but  hail  with  admiration  its  latest  development,  but. 
like  all  other  enterprises  judiciously  conducted,  it  will 
undoubtedly  pay  from  a  commercial  point  of  view. 

It  would  not  appear,  however,  that  the  leading  in- 
surance companies  are  anxious  for  "Klondyke  busi- 
ness." Their  desire  for  "premiums"  is  tempered  by 
lauch  discretion,  for  they  are.  it  appears,  positively  in- 
s.'^ructin'/  their  general  agents  not  to  assume  risks  upon 
the  liv<:s  of  persons  who  contemplate  visiting  the  gold 
region.  I  have  not,  in  my  experience,  found  that  the 
fin  v.AX.\*trs  and  underwriters  who  bet  upon'  the  lives  of 
their  feilow  creatures  give  very  much  away.  They 
have  their  uses  like  house  flies  and  other  annoyances 
and  they  do  not  hide  their  lights  or  their  prospectuses 
unde'  bushels ;  but,  in  consequence  of  that  healthy 
competition  which  permeates  even  ihe  atmosphere  of 
the  professional  actuary,  they  have  reduced  premiums, 
during  late  years,  to  a  level  which  leaves  them 
reasonable,  in  place  of  exorbitant  profits.  No  doubt,  in 
time,  they  will  cater  more  liberally  for  the  patronage  of 
even  a  Klondyke  explorer. 

Even  old  England  has  caught  the  "Klondyke 
fever"  and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  has  entered  the 
hearts  of  London's  financiers!  The  latest  news  is  that  a 
company  has  been  organized  over  the  water  which 
proposes  carrying  out  on  the  Yukon  what  the  chartered 
South  African  Company  has  effected  in  Afirica.    The 


58 


THF  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


9tt      k*Hl 


:.jce. 


company  seek.s  a  charter  from  the  Government  giving  it 
the  right  to  build  and  govern  cities,  maintain  militia, 
build  railroads  and,  in  fact,  to  do  just  as  they  feel 
inclined.  It  is  a  very  large  order  but  I  think  Uncle 
Sam  will  keep  well  ahead  in  the  business. 

Once  more  enterprise  is  to  the  fore  as  represented 
by  some  concern  in  New  York  which  offers  to  convey 
people  all  the  way  from  the  East  to  the  gold  fields  for  the 
sum  of  $103.25.     I  do  not  believe  they  can  do  it  and 

make  money,  but  what  worries 
me,  more  particularly,  is  the  25 
cents.  It  looks  like  a  fake. 
Other  forms  of  enterprise,  and 
here  we  approach  a  subject  of 
the  most  serious  moment,  are 
in  evidence  through  the  loud 
appeals  for  money  being  made 
by  company  promoters,  gentry 
who  arc  dangerous  to  the  com- 
munity and,  as  a  rule,  utterly 
unscrupulous  in  their  dealings.  I  have  been  at  some 
pains  to  obtain  inside  information  regarding  many  of  the 
advertised  schemes.  My  table  is  littered  with  prospect- 
uses, nearly  all  of  which  bear  unmistakably  the  hall- 
mark of  the  confidence  genius.  Investors  beware  !  In 
the  greedy  rush  for  Klondyke  gold  dust  people  who  can 
not  go  are  apt  to  hand  over  their  savings  in  exchange 
for  sweetly  attractive  chromos  representing  *'  full-paid 
and  non-assessable  stock."  I  would  impress  upon  the 
reader  the  fact  that  stock  issued  and  purchased  below  its 
par  value,  that  is,  at  a  reduced  pi  ice,  cannot  be  non-as- 
sessable. Such  stock  carries  with  it  a  heavy  and  indefi- 
nate  liability  and  should  be  avoided  like  a  leper,  lip- 
fortunately  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  investigate  these 
concerns.  Their  prospectuses  disclose  nothing  that 
should,  of  right,  be  made.known  to  the  investor.  The 
profits  to  be  secured  by  the  promoters,  the  salaries  and 
expenses  to  be  paid,  the  friends  to  be  placed  in  office, 
and  the  channels  carefully  cut  for  absorbing  the  compa- 
ny's fuads,  in  a  legal  manner ^  aie  systematicaUy  with-* 


mmm 


ENTERPRISES. 


5^ 


.! 


held.  It  is,  indeed,  a  pity  that  when  legitimate  enter- 
prise is  so  loudly  c^alled  for,  and  when  snch  exceptionally 
splendid  opportunities  exist  for  its  creation  and  develop- 
ment, the  ground  should  be  occupied  by  so  many  hypo- 
crites and  irresponsible  adventurers  seeking  whom  they 
may  devour. 

Many  companies  are  being  formed  in  New  York  and 
elsewhere  in  which  but  a  few  wealthy  men  are  associ- 
ated. These  may  be  describ^^d  as  high-class  projects  in 
which  the  general  public  are  precluded  from  securing  an 
interest.  This  brings  me  back  to  the  mere  capitalist 
who,  guided  by  his  native  instinct,  is  always  on  the 
watch  for  opportunity,  and  his  money  is  abundantly 
ready  the  moment  he  perceives  that  an  investment  may 
be  productive.  And  he  does  not  look  for  two  or  three 
hundred  per  cent,  like  a  gold  miner.  A  compsratively 
moderate  return  satisfies  him.  Hence  no  long  time  is 
likely  to  elapse  before  the  frozen  wilds,  which  now  al- 
most forbid  locomotion  even  in  utter  discomfort  and  not 
unattended  by  danger,  will  be  traveled  with  some  degree 
of  speed  and  undei  conditions  which  would,  at  least,  re- 
lieve men  from  acting  as  beasts  of  burden  In  the  mean- 
while the  merchant  will  continue  to  thrive,  and  millions 
of  dollars  will  be  made  by  those  who  possess  the  requi- 
site capital,  who  have  the  courage  to  embark  it,  and  who 
are  gifted  with  that  peculiar  tal- 
ent which,  in  trade,  lifts  a  man 
from  penury  to  wealth.  So  far, 
trade  will,  according  to  my 
lights,  be  found  more  perma- 
nently profitable  than  gold  min- 
ing, and  I  heartily  commend 
these  observations,  founded  as 
they  are  upon  practical  experi- 
ence in  several  parts  of  the 
world,  to  the  attention  and  con- 
sideration of  those  who  prefer  to  carry  on  business  in  a 
wild  and  unsettled  country  rather  than  in  a  slow,  prosy, 
though  comfortable,  city,  in  the  heart  of  civilization, 
where  competition  kills  profit. 


Pipyi% 


So        THE  KLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS, 


Returning,  once  more,  to  the  subject  of  investments, 
which  is  an  all-important  one,  I  should  contradict  my 
own  words,  as  they  appear  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
**gold  mining,"  were  I  to  sweepingly  assert  that  it  is 
altogether  impossible  to  discover  suitable  investments 
for  comparatively  small  sums  of  money.  It  being  my 
intention  to  write  further  upon  the  "Klondyke  Gold 
Fields  *'  I  am  naiurally  anxious  to  secure  the  support  of 
those  of  ray  readers  who  may  regard  this,  ray  first  issue, 
as  useful  or  entertaining.  Should,  therefore,  any 
inquiries  reach  me  regarding  the  advisability  of 
investing  in  any  particular  stock,  I  will  reply  to  all  such 
comniunications  promptly,  provided  they  contain  a 
stamped  and  addressed  envelope.  I  shall  make  it  my 
business  to  watch  all  opportunities  for  investment  and  I 
may  be  the  means  of  saving  some  of  ray  readers  heavy 
loss,  if  not  of  enabling  thera  to  secure  profitable  and  safe 
investments.  In  a  previous  chapter  I  stated  the 
possibility  of  my  journeying  to  the  Klondyke  region,, 
but  I  should  only  do  so  if  backed  up  by  a  strong 
company,  founded  upon  strictly  honest  lines,  and  it  may 
be  that  such  an  organization  may  yet  be  brought  into 
existence.  The  field  is  wide  and  there  is  ample  room 
for  all.     Communications  will  reach  nie  addressed, 

C.  ALKXANDKR  PLEMPEL, 


P.  O.  Box  942, 


Baltimobk,  Md. 


*•  If  a  boantlless  plenty  be  the  robe, 
Tnwle  is  the  golden  ijirdle  of  the  globe, 
Wise  to  promote  whatever  end  he  means, 
God  opens  fruitrul  Nature's*  various  scenes. 
Each  climate  needs  what  other  climes  produce, 
And  olFers  Bomething  to  the  general  use; 
No  land  but  li!>teiis  to  the  common  call. 
And  in  return  receives  supply  from  all." 


6i 


NO  gold  mine  was  ever  worked  with- 
out producing  tailings,  which  are 
sometimes  of  great  value.     Having 
Tailings.  presented  all  the  nuggets  available, 

I  will  wind  up  these  pages  with  a 
few  scraps  and  incidents  that  may  be  found  interesting. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  claims  already  staked 
out  on  the  Klondyke  will  produce  $50,000,000  worth  of 
gold,  all  of  which  may  be  taken  out  within  a  year. 

The  demand  for  miners'  outfits  at  Seattle  is  simpl> 
enormous,  and  storekeepers  are  working  night  and  day. 
One  might  do  worse  than  stait  business  in  Seattle. 

Claim  jumpers  and  others  who  interfere  with  the 
rights  of  miners  are  severely  dealt  with  under  Canadian 
laws. 

The  Tanamar  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Yukon,  is 
reported  to  be  rich  in  gold.  Prospectors,  bear  this  in  mind. 

A  cablegram  from  London, 
England,  was  recently  received 
at  Seattle,  asking  if  five  thous- 
and men  could  be  provided  v/ith 
outfits. 

The  mean  temperature  at 
Klondyke  is:  Spring  14'*  above 
zero ;  Summer,  50**  above  zero  ; 
Autumn,  ij**  above  zero ;  Win- 
ter, 30°  below  zero.  Frequently 
there  are  extremes  above  and 
below  these  figures. 

In  Dawson  City  it  is  not  nnui^aal  to  give  a  pinch  of 
gold  dust  for  a  long  drink. 

The  Klondyke  fever  does  not  abate,  but  is 
spreading  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  epidemic 
in   Texas,  and   in   one  small   town  in  Indiana  fiye 


"^'r'y/mz^^jii^//. 


ip^O^' -"^^"^^^ 


-V^;'/-??? 


.y 


^. 


V 


>•-- 


69         THE  ICLONDYKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 

hundred  persons  have  taken  stock  in  a  local  company. 
Work  with  pan  and  cradle  can  be  carried  on  during 
May,  June  and  July,  but  during  the  winter  months 
miners  are  employed  thawing  and  taking  out  the  frozen 
earth. 

One,  F.  G.  Bowker,  of  Dawson  City,  states  there 
was  no  one  tnere  to  die  until  less  than  a  year  ago,  and 
that  only  three  deaths  have  occurred  in  the  district. 
Take  this  statement  with  a  grain  of  salt. 

Protestant,  Roman  Catho- 
lic, and  other  missions,  exist  at 
frequent  intervals  throughout 
Alaska.  Churches  and  chapels 
will  soon  be  in  evidence  around 

,  the  gold  fields. 

'■*^;:^^^^^-p.yJ7l.^-^  Wholesale  desertion  of  sail- 

'^'^''^^^^/ff'^t      'h.  \  ^^rs,  from  ships  arriving  at  Alas- 
y     ^  ^      *  kan  ports,  is  greatly  feared  by 

5nooT,„Q  THt  Yw^oHl^'vpios  owners. 

Mr.  Wm.  Van  Stooten,  a  mining  engineer  and 
expert,  has  immense  interests  in  gold  mining  all  over 
the  world.  He  regards  the  discoveries  in  the  Klondyke 
region  as  the  most  important  that  have  ever  been  made. 

The  miners  around  Dawson  City  are  said  to  be  quiet 
and  peaceable.  Rowdyism  is  the  exception,  although 
gambling  is  indulged  in  extensively.  There  is  no 
cheating  or  swindling,  and  thieves  do  not  thrive.  The 
place  is  described  as  containing  ' '  the  most  orderly 
mining  community  in  the  world." 

A  new  overland  route  to  the  Klondyke  may  be 
opened  next  Spring.  It  covers  about  seven  hundred 
miles,  after  leaving  Juneau,  and  runs  over  a  high,  level 
prairie. 

No  person  can  buy  anything  on  credit  in  Dawson 
City.  Spot  cash  for  all,  and  gold  dust  the  chief  circu- 
lating medium. 

John  Cudahy,  the  great  Chicago  speculator,  is  said 
to  be  at  the  head  of  a  $25,000,000  Alaskan  enterprise, 
which  is  to  own  steamships,  mines,  nnd  town  sites, 
and  is  to  carrv  on  general  trndine  operations. 


TAILINGS. 


63 


Clarence  Berr>',  of  Fresno,  Cal.,  is  reported  to  have 
eained  the  largest  fortune  yet  made  at  the  I^lonay^ce. 
He  prospected  for  several  years  without  success,  but  last 
summer  he  struck  the  richest  pocket  yet  discovered  at 
Klondyke,  and  recently  returned  with  $135,000- 

All  returning  miners  agree  that  the  best  way  to 
reach  the  gold  fields  is  via  Juneau.  The  journey  is 
mainly  by  land,  over  a  snow-covered  trail,  down  numerous 
rivers  and  across  lakes.  On  an  average,  the  distance, 
650  miles,  can  be  traversed  in  about  twenty-five  days. 


;  I 


mrmimmmms* 


